


You Can't Own Me

by pink_wednesdays



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Brothels, Death Eater Draco Malfoy, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Multi, Possessive Draco Malfoy, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Romance, Sexual Assault, Sexual Slavery, Threesome - F/M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:54:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 115,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pink_wednesdays/pseuds/pink_wednesdays
Summary: In a post-war era where Voldemort wins, the muggleborn witches were ultimately able to serve a purpose after all. "The Lounge" was a buffet of forbidden fruits in masks, it was a place a wanton and abandon, a place for some to go to have a good time. For others, like Hermione who had been forced into servitude there it was a prison decorated to cater to an upscale clientele. It would just so happen that Hermione might make the biggest mistake of her life when she sets her sights on a target, a target who will bring her present and past colliding violently together.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Blaise Zabini, Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 111
Kudos: 116





	1. You Can't Own Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Artwork update
> 
> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie.  
> You Can’t Own Me
> 
> You don't own me  
> I'm not just one of your many toys  
> You don't own me  
> Don't say I can't go with other boys
> 
> And don't tell me what to do  
> Don't tell me what to say  
> And please, when I go out with you  
> Don't put me on display 'cause
> 
> You don't own me  
> Don't try to change me in any way  
> You don't own me  
> Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay  
> I don't tell you what to say  
> I don't tell you what to do  
> So just let me be myself  
> That's all I ask of you –  
> Say Grace

Click. Click. Click. Click.

Freedom.

Click. Click. Click.

Freedom was the sound of her platform stilettos as she made her way down the stage toward the pole and all eyes were on her.

The sweet smell of opium-like smoke mixed with tobacco filled the air, masking the sweat smell for the most part. For the most part.

The rhythm rolled through her body and she undulated to the beat dropping her red, cropped leather jacket to the floor. The studs hit with a clang and she continued her way to the center, passing another girl in mask on her way out.

Right as her hand touched the pole she sighed as the charm coursed through her, releasing endorphins throughout her system allowing the music to take her even more than the small dose of wizard opium she already had backstage.

She moaned into her swing, and the whole world went into slow motion, wizarding bills rained down around her, and she brought her leg up to wrap around the pole. She could caressed her body freely with her hands, luxuriating in the sensations for the crowd of men that had steadily grown around her.

She could see their eyes, each and every one of them, hungry, ready to devour her. Here: this was where she held her power, her last vestiges of freedom.

Here she could be as strong or weak as she chose to be. She could be as innocent and pure or as wicked and evil, and it just so happened that she was none of those things. She was mad, furious really.

She twisted and slid down the pole, slowly spreading her legs, teasing about what she had hidden between. It was only just a moment before quickly spinning her legs back together and crawling to the other side of the stage to continue her dangerous game.

What she knew, that many of the other girls did not, was that the longer you held off on giving them what they wanted the more they would pay you for it. Which was exactly why she had one of the best suites in the “Lounge.”

But once again as she crawled away the bills rained down. Internally she cringed, so demeaning. At some point she would be expected to roll nearly naked in the collection beneath her, but she would think about that later.

Right now, she was hunting.

During her spin she had spotted her prey for the evening. Simple black mask, light hair, light eyes, expensive cufflinks. Instant target.

She purposely avoided making eye contact with him at first, toying with the men around him. She even went as far to allow one gentleman to touch her ankle, it cost him obviously, but she allowed it none the less. Her target had never taken his eyes off her once.

She approached a wing target two positions over and gave him a quick mini show, barely meant to excite, just enough for misdirection. She arched onto her back before him, she danced for him before gathering her feet beneath her and sliding to the gentleman of the evening.

Here for the first time she made eye contact with him. Allowing herself to come out to play and luring him in. She slid her hands up the side of her breasts as he stoically looked on. But she knew his type, the fact that he had remained meant that she had him exactly where she wanted him.

Rolling so that her knees were beneath her she presented herself to him, still clad in her school-girl mini skirt. Whoever picked out her outfit tonight obviously thought they were hilarious.

With no prompting needed from her she felt his hand slide its way up her thigh and cup her bottom. She peaked at him from under her eyelashes as she leaned back even further into his hand, moaning for him…the crowd, before crawling away.

But that time she caught the smirk that graced his perfect full lips.

She backed up the pole as she rolled her hips to the music, all the while tucking her hands into the band of her skirt. She ran her thumbs along the spans of her taught, exposed stomach as she moved back and forth with the beat.

_Money._

She reached up and grabbed the pole with one hand, ran the other up her thigh exposing just the right amount of her barely there knickers to bring on the rain of money, before letting it drop.

She made eye contact with Mr. Black, and _POP_ , there went the first button.

She watched as his eyes went a shade darker and she smiled in wicked satisfaction.

She pulled her lip in between her teeth before, _POP_ , the second button.

His eyes were almost black now, and she could tell by the set of his jaw that he was gritting his teeth. He leaned over and said one word to the man standing next to him before the man turned and left the stage. To go where she had no idea, nor quite frankly did she care.

Another wave of endorphins washed through her causing her to close her eyes to the pleasure of it all. If she wasn’t careful, she would lose herself too quickly in the drugs of the stage and she would leave money behind. As it was if she wiggled just right the skirt would fall as easily as all the money was falling around her.

She rolled her hips again before bringing her finger to the third and final button. She looked back up to meet her targets eyes but this time he was gone.

Before any form of regret could be registered, she felt a hand at her elbow and she was very confusedly being escorted off the stage. And by the sound of it, none too happily by her patronage either.

“Where are you taking me?” she did not have to fake the fear in her voice. There were plenty of times that girls were dragged away, never to be heard from again, or worse. They were brought back beaten and half alive for some unknow offense that they will never be able to speak of again. Its hard to talk once your tongue has been removed.

It is also hard to make money.

Speaking of… she glanced back at the stage she had been working longingly and everything that was being left behind. Doubtful she’d even need it though.

“No worries, Miss.” The bouncer at her elbow spoke in a gruff broken Irish lilt. “Someone will handle all that fer ye.”

 _Interesting_. She thought to herself as her head slowly cleared and she allowed herself to be escorted off the back of the stage. Another girl already hurrying to replace her.

Normally by this point after the show she would have made her back the “powder room” where her money would be taken from her counted and allocated to her room account in the form of merits. The merit system was how they made outside purchases. It was one of the few ways for them to earn some type of their old life back or a modern luxury. The other of course was to be gifted by patrons, that was never frowned upon. For, of course “a gifting patron is a happy patron.”

She was led the other direction. But she knew this way too, she had just never been asked to come here. She’d made sure of it. That is why she did not have regulars, everything she earned she earned on the floor, regulars got you invited to the “parlor suites.”

Click, click, click, click, click.

And that was where the last bit of dignity she had would be lost, its where all the girls’ lives were changed forever. Its where the world that they were living in quit being a game and suddenly became reality. A sad, scary and cruel one at that.

She knew she was a good dancer. Some of the other girls had warned her that she was too good. That there had been whispers in the parlor about her amongst the men. Which is why she had been all the more diligent. She even went the extra mile to let others pick out outfits they thought she couldn’t possibly pull off. Unfortunately for them, or her really, she had rocked them all.

Click, click, click.

The walls in this side of the building were lined in intricately designed velvet wallpaper all in deep shades of burgundy and emeralds. The furniture the ornate style that the upper class often felt so entitled to. It smelled of warm mahogany and amber and it made her want to vomit.  
She strolled past curious onlookers in her last performance attire, or at least what was left of it. A black leather and lace bustier, fishnet thigh highs attached to an exposed garter belt, the skirt that was barely managing to stay on her hips was covering a pair of super short leather booty shorts that tied the whole thing together. All in all, it wasn’t a horrible outfit, it was the fluffy pink accessories she was wearing with it that had made it laughable.

One gentleman at the bar even went as far to gesture as if to ask how much she was. She nearly threw up in her throat right then. Luckily her escort just shook his head and continued them on their way to the elevators. To whomever she was actually intended for.

As she watched the arrow on the elevator climb higher and higher with her inside, she remembered a time when things weren’t like this. When, if five years ago you could have gone back and told her that she would be in an elevator on her way to sell her body to some stranger, she would have laughed. Well maybe not laughed, she was after all a lot nicer back then, but she would have definitely had a hard time believing you.

_What would that conversation be like? She wondered. Hey? So you know all this stuff you think is going to magically work out if you all work hard together because good always triumphs over evil? Yeah well guess what? Wrong!_

_And you’re going to wind up a subjugated prostitute._

_Maybe I’d listen…_

The elevator dings at the top way too soon for her liking. She can feel herself trembling as the doors began to open.

The big Irish man she decided to name Dublin, gave a tug on her elbow trying to get her to move.

“Come now, miss.”

But she doesn’t move. She couldn’t move if she wanted to.

And maybe it was because her eyes were as round as saucers and she looked completely petrified that he did what he did next but he leant down and scooped her up, carrying her to the back room before depositing her on the ground and knocking twice. She doesn’t know why she felt a sting of betrayal as Dublin backed away from her as the door swings open.

“That’ll be all.” And with that dismissal Dublin turned on his heels and leaves her with a man she recognizes immediately as the man who was next to Mr. Black. The one who left the stage shortly before he disappeared himself.

He takes one look at her. “You, follow me.”

Her curiosity piqued she follows him across what has to be the penthouse suit, with its floor to ceiling windows and private balcony pool. He pauses at the bar and hands her a drink, its pink and swirly.

She sniffs it but can’t place the concoction for the life of her.

“What is this?” she asks the man, refusing to take a drink.

“Just drink it, you look petrified and nothing like the dancer on the stage right now. This,” he tipped the drink back against her lips, “will change that.”

The second she felt it hit her stomach she felt its effects. It was much like the wizard opium only stronger and, sighing she rubbed her hand up her arm.

_Everything felt so good._

“Alright, lets go.” The man said again leading her further into the penthouse. She stumbled and tried not to giggle but failed. This earned her a scornful look from her current subjugate.

 _Who_ , she thought absently, _would be cute if he wasn’t always frowning like that._

She liked his brown hair, there was almost something familiar about it.

He too, stopped at a door at the end of the hall before knocking twice. However, instead of waiting he simply opened the door and ushered her in with a shove to the back, followed by closing the door behind her.

She stumbled into the room catching herself toward the center.

“Please forgive Theodore. He can be quite rude sometimes.” Came the velvety voice of a man right in front of her.

Mr. Black sat leaning on a black velvet chaise, mask, cufflinks and all. She let out another giggle.

He smiled. “I see Theo was also forthcoming with the refreshments this evening.”

She would be lying if she said she didn’t catch the heat in his eyes at that revelation, and for some reason that did something for her excitement. He hadn’t yet moved from his relaxed position as if this in itself was some kind of challenge.

_She wondered, Was this still a game she could play to win?_

She leaned from one hip then slowly to the other, testing her stability. All the while watching as his eyes took in her every move. Determining she should be stable enough she took her first steps in his direction. His eyes lit up with excitement she smiled to herself and she continued her slow walk past him and to the massive window lining the wall behind him.

_You can’t win if you don’t play, that was for damned sure._

She stared out at the city scape for minutes, much longer than she thought he would permit. She took in the pungent differences to the city she once loved. What was once diverse and beautiful now held its own dark and sick twisted sense of Victorian beauty. She had not seen the city through eyes like this since before the war was over.

“I would say it is marvelous…” came Mr. Blacks voice from beside her ear, “but I would wonder what you would really think.” She shivered as she felt his finger graze her back while toying with and errant curl.

“Would you really though?” She knew he noticed her reaction to his touch, but she pretended not to. She needed to play this as long as possible.

He gave a dark chuckle, this time more boldly trailing his fingertips down the base of her spine. “You would be surprised.” Whatever drink Theo had given to her had her arching her back into this man like a cat. Causing him to chuckle again, before leaning to whisper intimately in her ear. “Whatever shall I call you my pet?”

She let out a sigh as he brought his hand up to cup her neck possessively. If he was giving her a name, that would mean this would more than likely be a temporary arrangement. It was also less dangerous that way. Girls who knew too much often went missing. It was always better to stay behind the mask.

“Of course,” his cool steel eyes met hers in the window, “I could always see who’s behind the mask.”

She knew not to panic. That would make him want it all the more.

“Maybe…” she shrugged, turning around and brushing past him again. She breathed yet another sigh of relief when this too was allowed. “But then where is the fun in that. Part of this whole,” and she gestured around them. “is the mystery of it all isn’t it?”

“Touché.” He gave her a nod and watched as she slowly circled the room.

“So, why did you bring me here? Not that I’m not honored.” _She wasn’t._ “But I was literally mid dance and…”

He raised a hand cutting her off. “I don’t share”

He said it with such raw intensity that she was momentarily stunned. _She was not winning this game. If she had been a cat, he was a panther._

“Oh. I see…”

His lips quirked again and that predatory gleam returned to his eyes from before. This time she watched as he approached her. Removing each cufflink just so, before shaking out of and discarding his coat. He had made it to the third button of his shirt by the time he reached her.

“Now…” he tipped her face back with the tip of his finger, “what shall I call you?”

He stared down at her with so much intensity she almost blurted out her real name. Mask be damned.

“Amortentia.”She smoothly covered. “Amora for short.”

“Amora.” He tested her stage handle on his tongue. No one really knew it because it was hardly used. That was, until the rumors started.

He leaned down, about to bring his lips to hers and she felt herself bubble over in panic. “And you? What do I call you?”

He stopped his descent but did not pull away. He smirked as he met her eyes. “Sir.”

“Sir,” she heard herself whisper as he traced the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. He watched her mouth move with so much hunger that it scared her, especially so knowing she didn’t know who was behind the mask and what he was capable of. But still, mask was best.

He turned her so that her back was pressed against him, they were facing another section of windows. This one with enough light to reflect their images back at them.

Her face was wild, eyes lidded and drugged. His was wild too, only in a different, all-consuming way.

“Undo that last button Amora.” He ordered in her ear causing heat to flood her body.

She found herself doing as she was told, no thought required to perform the action.

_Damn, that potion._

With a single last _POP_ her skirt fell to her feet. She felt no shame in his reaction to her, she already knew what it would be. She had seen it plenty of times before. It just had been sometime since she saw it up this close and personal. And with herself literally in arms reach.

He sucked in a breath and slid his hands around her waist. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her mouth at his contact, everywhere he touched left a trail of fire. He drew his hand over her garter belt before following the clasps to the barely there leather and lace knickers. He ran his fingers in the top of the band and she felt herself grind back against him.

She could easily feel the evidence of his arousal and as much as she didn’t want this to happen with that potion she was powerless to stop it.

“Mmm, patience Amora.” He purred in her ear as he snaked one of his hands up to cup her breast. With his other he slipped one finger between her thighs to feel her heat between the fabric that was drenched there. “Or perhaps patience isn’t a virtue you carry.”

He slipped a second finger between her legs as he forced her legs apart with one of his knees. To her horror she mewled and whimpered unashamedly against this strange man’s hand.

She shook her head back and forth against his chest. “Please…” she begged, but what was she begging for. _Did she want him to stop? Did she want more?_

“Yes. Beg.” Sir grinned, “I like to be begged. Here I’ll show you.” As a reward he slipped his hand down the front of her knickers and touched her directly.

She almost buckled at the sensation. He held her up against him as he worked his ministrations on her.

“Now tell me… Amora.” This time he said her name almost mockingly, “Whatever would have possessed Theodore to have dosed you with the house specialty before bringing you to me this evening. The woman I saw on stage...” he breathed in her hair, “was full of fire and rage. Why would she need liquid courage, so to say?”

“Never been. Up here.” She panted. The truth spilled from her lips like vomit at the potion’s behest.

At this, Sir froze. She looked up to see his reflection in the mirror. His eyes bore into hers.

“You’ve never been up to the parlor suites?”

She shook he head. Curious if this was her trump card out. But one look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. If he wanted her to himself before, he did doubly so now.

“Are you?”

And she knew what he was asking before he even finished. Again, she shook her head no. Thank gods there had been Ron before everything had gone to hell. She couldn’t imagine if this were how she were to lose her virginity as well.

He murmured to himself as he resumed stroking her, almost as though he were contemplating her words. He tweaked her nipple through her bustier which elicited a squeak from her and another wave of wetness to coat his fingers.

“No matter. He murmured.” He slid his hand up her neck leaving her breast behind unattended. His hand cupped her face. “Mask off.”

Even her drugged state was not enough to numb the shock of that statement.

“What? But I thought we agreed?” her heart was pounding a mile a minute.

_No. No. No. No_

“That,” he said pointedly, “was before I learned I never will have to share you with this world.” He continued to hold her gaze in the glass as he slowly fingered the edges of her lace mask. “One thing still untouched, all mine and unruined. Just one tug…” he let the sentence trail off.

_She was going to vomit. This was it._

She felt his finger gently pry the mask from her face, it faded to smoke the moment it was removed. Now only he could put it back on. She watched his face, horrified to be completely exposed before him.

“Holy Fucking Shite!” Sir breathed a sigh of what almost sounded like reverence and she closed her eyes tight against what she knew was next. “Bloody Hermione Granger.”

_Why?_

_Why couldn’t she have stayed Amora just a little while longer?_

She hated being herself. Hated it even more when other people knew who she was. They always thought there was some hope where she was involved. Like somehow, she was going to get them all out of this.

Didn’t they get it? They failed! Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, McGonagall they are dead. All of them, and for what? For them all to end up in this crazy twisted world where Voldemort found a purpose for mudbloods after all.

Apparently, as long as you went through the proper channels and cleansing rituals it was okay to surrogate using one, oh and she had to be sacrificed after as well, of course. But hey, sacrifices must be made when there is a current shortage of pureblood children being born.

Oh, or you could be lucky, like she was and be consorted with as long as you were constantly reminded of your lesser place and simply used for fun. A grand business venture really. She can’t remember which of the death eaters came up with that one.

“Granger.” Sir commanded behind her, “Open your eyes.”

She really did not want to open her eyes. She fought it with everything she had truly. She was so scared of what she’d see once she looked again. But even being forced to obey his orders could not prepare her for what, or rather who, she saw staring back at her.

“Malfoy.” She whispered.

_Oh crap, this was bad._

He had hated her throughout their entirety at Hogwarts. And she sure as hell has done nothing to warrant that change now. And now they had seen each other, oh gods, he was going to kill her.

She whimpered, but stopped suddenly when she felt more than heard, him chuckling. “None of that Granger.” Next, she felt his hand creep up through the hair on her scalp, before he none to gently pulled her head back.

She looked up into his eyes directly. Not seeing the loathing, she thought that she’d find, instead his eyes were searing with fire, burning her straight to her core.

“You’re mine now.” He spoke to her sternly, “Just add this as another reason on my list.”

This time he gave her no pause as he brought his lips down on hers aggressively leaving bruises in his wake. When she opened her mouth to breathe, he forced his way in with his tongue.

Hermione twisted in his arms and pushed against him as much as the potion would allow.

_This was wrong. Malfoy was wrong._

He had steadily been rising in the ranks, really thriving in this mockery of a world.

He broke away from their kiss to assault her breasts as he worked to remove the article of clothing entirely. He was like a man possessed and it made absolutely no sense to her. If anything, he should have been disgusted to

discover her identity.

_Mudblood number one. Especially in his books._

“Malfoy, wait!” She tried to override the potion with any reserves of magic that hadn’t been sapped from her throughout the day.

“Stop fighting it Granger.” He returned to her mouth the moment her bra dropped to the floor. He lifted her with ease and her legs instinctually wrapped around him.

“We can’t do this.” She breathed between kisses, even as she writhed against him. “I can’t do this. Not with you.”

He whole heartedly laughed then before depositing her on the bed. He resumed work on his shirt buttons once again.

“Do you have someone else in mind Princess? Please do tell?”

“There is no need to be ugly.” She spat.

His shirt dropped to the floor and she could vividly see the outline of over every ridge and muscle in his well-honed body. As well as count his numerous scars, which oddly enough Hermione found only added to his current sex appeal.

_No. There was definitely no sex appeal._

“Besides,” he started on his trousers and Hermione felt the heat flush all through her body at his next words. “I already told you you’re mine.”

He removed his pants and shorts exposing his impressive member. Hermione remembered hearing the Slytherin girls gossip in school, but she’d always just chalked them up to high school girl nonsense. Apparently, these stories had been completely founded and justified.

He wrapped his hand around his shaft and gave himself several slow pumps as he looked down at her splayed out before him. There was something about the intensity in that moment that Hermione could never remember feeling sexier.

“Come here Granger.” His voice cracked on the order, but she found herself obeying anyway. She crawled over to the edge of the bed where he was steadily stroking his shaft. “Up here.” He commanded once she reached him and he brought his hands to her face, staring her in the eyes. “I know this is wrong on so many levels, but Granger I am going to have you, and no one else is going to touch you. Do you understand?”

She felt herself nod. _No._

He leaned in and kissed her slowly and passionately. Building an impossible heat between them that left her panting.

“Now, are you done fighting?”

Again, she nodded, but this time there was no voice answering in the background.

“Good.” Draco smiled wickedly then, “I have been imagining since fourth year what those lips would look like wrapped around my cock.”

It was with that startling confession that she felt her head being guided down towards the tip of his shaft.

It’s hard to make money without a tongue. And another hysterical giggle thanks to a sudden rush of calming endorphins from the potion. She looked at the tip of his cock curiously, he was still stroking it slowly and she watched fascinated. She felt herself lick her lips just watching him and his large girth strained even more in his hand.

“Fuck, Granger. I’m trying here, I really am, but if you do something like that again I’m not going to make any more promises.”

“Sorry.” She glanced up at him through hooded lashes.

_Why was she apologizing again? She honestly couldn’t remember what she had done and pulled her lip through her teeth in frustration._

_When had everything become so muddled? And what was this pink fuzz on the edge of her vision?_

Draco groaned and ran a hand over his face. “That’s the fucking bloody stuff wet dreams are made of Granger. If you had any idea of half the things I have wanted to do…” he trailed off having found himself again and let out a deep sigh.

_An idea of half of what things?_

“Granger,” the commanding tone was back in his voice, she felt her body instantly respond, “those lips, around my cock. Now.”

Now that was an idea she could get behind.

_He truly did have a glorious member._

Hermione smirked up at him and Draco almost came right there. She could see it in the way he stiffened, after all shed spent the last four years learning how to read the patrons, she would know.

Hermione gathered her knees just so beneath her so that her bottom was primed in the air, she’d been trained for these exact moments.

Upon being “recruited” for the Lounge the girls we forced to undergo rigorous training. Learning everything from how to tease to how to please. Hermione had always been an excellent student.

She took one well manicured finger, tonight’s flavor was Tickle-me Pink, and ran it down the outline of his abdomen, marveling at the man before her. When her finger met his shaft she continued her singular path down to the tip, his hand stilled and forgotten as he watched her intently. She circled the crown and when she found that sensitive spot underneath she used that one finger to tip the head of him forward while at the same time she leaned towards him with her mouth open, just as he’d done to her, as she guided him onto her tongue. She heard him make an audible gasp when she closed her lips around him and she hummed in approval.

As she leaned forward to take more of him into her mouth she felt Draco glide one hand down her back to squeeze her rear. She ground against his hand and moaned at the contact, wanton for more. She sucked hard, pulling her way back up his cock laving the underside with her tongue. She quickly learned that the more she moved the more he rewarded her with his touches.

As she licked and sucked, his hands worked their magic bringing her fire and excitement, bringing her closer to that place that she was sure only he could help her reach.

She heard herself whimper when Draco’s hand stopped toying with her and he fisted both hands in her hair.

“That’s it Granger.” He held her head still and gave one experimental trust into her mouth, the tip of him reaching all the way to the back and almost causing her to gag. “Just relax.”

She looked up at him as he threw his head back, continuing his slow thrusts into her mouth.

She squeezed her legs together to try to ease some of the new and sudden discomfort.

His grip on her hair tightened as the speed of his thrusts increased. Hermione felt herself relaxing more and more and realized that the head of his cock was no longer making her gag. He had forced his way fast that and his cock was now halfway down her throat and she couldn’t remember a time when she had been this soaked before.

She moaned around him and his eyes shot to her, dark and hooded. He was nearly there, only now realizing that she had been watching him. He would have come that way, used her and maybe even left her alone.

_Wasn’t there something to that? Something important?_

“Granger?” he panted, pausing mid thrust.

She didn’t respond not that she could. But Draco had caught enough of the idea. A slow smile spread across his face as he gave one long slow forceful thrust back into her throat, this time his quicksilver eyes never leaving hers. Again she moaned, squirming back and forth before him. The mix of pure lust, awe and excitement that passed over his features was not lost on her. It was as though he had just discovered some secret that only he knew the answer to, and for all she knew he was.

“Fuck. Me. Granger.” He groaned and pulled out of her mouth abruptly, leaving a string of drool hanging from her lips. “Since when did Gryffindor’s Princess get turned on by being used?”

He pulled her up and then pushed her so she was laying on her back before him, breathless and so royally turned on that she could scream.

_When in deed? Merlin knew it had never been like this with Ron._

Ronald had been sweet stolen moments in between missions, nothing he had ever done had made her feel used. And he had certainly never been so commanding with her body.

Draco tightened a hand around her throat and she groaned, again he smiled.

_This was most definitely his game now._

With one quick jerk he ripped her panties from her with his free hand.

Hermione felt a mild surge of panic, quickly replaced by overwhelming pleasure as he plunged one long finger inside her, causing her to arch her back. Only his hand on her neck was keeping her in place as every nerve ending in her body started firing off.

“Merlin.” She heard him mumble as he drove his finger in and out of her before adding another one, stretching her even further. He crooked his fingers inside her, finding that spot that she so desperately needed him to and she almost screamed.

He hovered over her as he worked her into even more of a frenzy than she thought was possible. She writhed and squirmed beneath him, still wearing the garter belt, stockings and heels from her show.

“That’s right, Granger.” He praised her as her hips came up to meet his every motion.

“Please, Malfoy.” _There she was begging again, she was so close to losing it all._

“Draco.” He corrected distractedly, never ceasing his never ending torture on her body.

She shook her head against the sheets. She wouldn’t give him that. He may take everything else, but he would never be more than Malfoy.

He just smiled at her refusal, but rather than demand compliance he inserted a third finger while simultaneously applying pressure to her clit.

She made a silent Oh, as she was sent careening over the edge. Draco covered her mouth with his own swallowing her cries as she rode his fingers back down.

When his hand was replaced by his leg she tried clamping her legs closed around him, pushing against his chest weakly as he deepened their kiss.

“Do you know what I think?” He asked her after capturing both of her hands with one of his and pinning them above her head. He leaned down to take her nipple into her mouth making her gasp out loud. He used her distraction to wedge her legs back apart with his knee, sliding his entire body against her.

“I think you like having the power taken from you. Not being the one in charge for once. I think you like being forced to allow me to be in control.” He moved to lave her other breast and Hermione arched into his mouth.

He shifted and she could feel him poised at her entrance, and a fresh wave of panic came racing to the surface, with it, a small moment of lucidity.

“No Malfoy! You can’t!” She pleaded, knowing they had officially reached the point of no return. If he did this, if _they_ did this, she would be ruined.

The scariest part was that she knew she would not be able to fight him in any of this. In fact if everything else proved to be model, then she was going to quite enjoy it. But what about later, when she returned back to her room with the rest of the girls?

_Would she be okay then?_

Draco brought his mouth down on hers punishingly, until she melted into the effects of the potion once again, forgetting why this was all such a terrible thing. When he pulled away he was breathing hard and she found a new hard edge to his eyes.

“First off, you agreed to stop fighting me.” He scolded, steel cutting through his voice. He emphasized this declaration by slamming himself harshly inside her. “And second, you are going to call me Draco.”

Hermione was given no time to adjust at his sudden intrusion as he set a commanding pace taking out his frustrations on her. Luckily for her the potion ensure that every ounce of pain she felt was somehow muddled with insurmountable pleasure.

“Oh God!” Hermione exclaimed, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist instinctively. She could feel him everywhere and the sensation was absolutely overwhelming.

“Not quite.” Draco chuckled darkly. “Try again…” he prompted her with a particularly punishing thrust of his hips.

She pulled her lip between her teeth, stifling a groan and still refusing to give him the last thing he was asking of her. She watched as his eyes went wide, staring at her mouth.

“Mmmnph… that mouth again.” He leaned down to whisper into her ear, his hand at her hip guiding the way she grinded against him in just the right way. “Do you know I used to watch that mouth back at school Granger? The shapes it made as you sucked on all those sugar quills.”

 _Oh god_. She could feel it, that tingle beginning to work its way up from her toes. She clenched around him causing him to suck in his breathe.

“Fuck, Hermione…” she’d interrupted his entire line of thinking.

“Do you know how many times I watched you studying in the library, alone? Always sucking on those damned sugar quills.”

 _Bloody. Fucking. Hell!_ She was so close. One more word and she knew he would have her. She spasmed around him again.

“Hermione..” he groaned, “you’re so fucking tight. Just like I’d imagined you’d be every time I wanted to throw your ass over one of those library tables. Oh gods Hermione…”

“Holy fuck… DRACO!” She shouted as the strongest orgasm of her life over took her, wave after wave. All at the hands of Draco Malfoy. The fact that he’d manipulated her into calling his name had not gone unnoticed, by either it had seemed.

“That’s right.” He crooned letting go of her wrists in favor of leaning back and taking hold of her hips. “And who’s pretty little cunt is this now, Hermione?”

“Yours Draco…” she sighed in defeat, knowing when to recognize that she had lost.

“Yes…” he hissed as he plunged his hips into her. “You are mine Hermione.”

She knew her second climax already nearing from his new angle, she could feel the tip of him pressing against the very back of her at another sensitive spot even she hadn’t known about. She dug the tips of her heels into his back, urging him on.

_Fuck. This was bad, but oh so good._

Hermione rolled her hips testing out different pressures and was delighted when Draco was more than willing to accommodate synchronizing with her to give them both the maximum amount of friction.

“Yes, please…just like that.” Hermione begged him when he found the perfect harmonizing rhythm.

He complied murmuring, “Fucking mine…” under his breath the entire time.

He flattened the palm of his hand against her abdomen, increasing the pressure from the outside every time his tip came in contact with his hand.

She came, hard, screaming Draco Malfoy’s name into the room for the entire floor to hear. Her orgasm only spurred on one of his own and Draco cried out as he spilled himself deep inside of her. She could feel his hot jets of semen as he looked down at her ferally, her ongoing orgasm milking out his as well.

Even now she was somehow still prey captive in a predators gaze.

As she came down from her high she noticed a glint of light from the hand that Draco had yet to remove from her stomach.

_A wedding ring. Of course._

Hermione was going to be sick. She dislodged from Malfoy as quickly as she could and made it to a waste bin just in time for her to empty her stomachs contents, among them the remnants of the potion.

“Not typically the reaction I’m used to getting. I’m not going to lie.”

Hermione glanced over from her crouched position to see Malfoy lounging with one elbow propped on the bed. He was watching her with an expression that was an odd mixture of amusement and disgust. It made her blood boil.

“You’re married!” she flung at him across the room.

“Obviously.” He chuckled, hardly a glance at the wedding ring on his finger.

She stood, looking around awkwardly for something to cover up with. Anything really to help hide some of the evidence of what had just taken place.

“Then why would you…?”

“What?” he asked while simultaneously cleaning the fluids that were running down her leg, that she had been so desperately trying to ignore, and conjuring a robe for her. “Come here? Bring you here?”

She nodded and put on the robe. It was black silk and barely came down low enough to cover her nether regions, but she supposed it was better than nothing.

And why did you take it as far as you did? She wanted to ask, but didn’t. She didn’t know if she really wanted to know the answer to that question.

“Really Granger? You have to ask?” He questioned her in a bored tone that told her he thought she would have picked up on his intentions by now.

She said nothing, just stood there waiting, meeting his cold gray eyes head on, refusing to back down. The least he owed her at this point were some measly answers. Its not like she could do anything to him, the women at the lounge were all wandless and drained of their magic daily.

“Because I can, Granger.”

She watched as he stood, still gloriously naked, and walked over to a cabinet that housed a full bar in the room. He poured himself a glass before turning and gesturing to offer her one as well.

She shook her head.

He sighed before taking a drink and looked like he was contemplating something quite seriously.

“Astoria is… everything a _pureblood_ wife should be.”

Okay, not entirely where she thought he was going with this.

“ She is beautiful, elegant, someone truly worthy of bearing the next Malfoy heir.” He took another sip of his drink and took a seat in a chair near the fireplace. He then gestured for her to join him.

Intrigued, Hermione walked to the sitting area, but she leaned on the seat rather than sit in front of him. She did not want to be in a position that placed her below him again.

He rolled his eyes before continuing. “Honestly everything is perfect Granger. My life, the world, you mudbloods are finally in their place, and I couldn’t be richer.”

She balked at how flippantly he was able to list off all those positive traits about his life. Meanwhile the unlucky half of the wizarding world was either dead or in servitude.

He took another long swig of his drink before leaning towards her and resting his elbows on his knees, a crazed look in his eyes.

“But do you know what perfect is Granger?”

“Everything you ever asked for?” she silently cursed herself. She was really trying not to goad him any further.

In this case, she was lucky, he just leaned back and laughed. Whole heartedly so, and it caught her by surprise. So much so that she rounded the chair and took the seat, her curiosity piqued.

_What on Earth was Draco Malfoy on about? Was he completely unhinged?_

“You would think that would have been the case right? You really would. But perfect Granger,” he sneered, “is boring. And I want to tear it all down.”

_Oh gods. Draco Malfoy has lost his mind._

“And I just found the witch who’s going to help me do it.”

Oh no. Not again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and joining me on my journey. I hope you enjoy it and comments keep me writing ;)


	2. I Don't Wanna Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione pushes back against Draco, but how far will her punishment actually go?

**I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie.

_idontwannabeyouanymore_

Hand, hands getting cold  
Losing feeling is getting old  
Was I made from a broken mold?

Hurt, I can't shake  
We've made every mistake  
Only you know the way that I break

If teardrops could be bottled  
There'd be swimming pools filled by models

Told "a tight dress is what makes you a whore"  
If "I love you" was a promise  
Would you break it, if you're honest?  
Tell the mirror what you know she's heard before

I-I don't wanna be you  
I don't wanna be you  
I don't wanna be you, anymore – Billie Eilish

**I Don’t Want to Be**

Three nights. Draco had kept her locked up in his parlor suite for three nights.

He taught Hermione a lot in those three nights. For instance, he taught her how truly and completely he owned her, he had taken her against every surface in the suite at least once. He also taught her how dangerous of a game he really was. 

When she asked him why he was keeping her there, she always received the same answer. “Because I can.”

He showed her that in the grand scheme of things she was nothing more than a plaything. If his ludicrous fantasy did not turn out, at least he had a fun toy out of it. 

That had been two days ago. She hadn’t left her room since. Ginny came and went, checking up on her when she could. As soon as she saw her the first evening, she left and came right back with Pavarti. 

Together the two girls helped to heal any of Hermione’s external wounds. The inner ones, they said, she would have to adjust with time. Draco had not been gentle with her. It had served as both a way to ensure she knew her

position and to punish her for one of her many indiscretions.

Both said the potion always helps and that is truly the best way to come out unscathed. 

They didn’t ask her if she knew who it was. 

They didn’t ask her if this meant she now had a patron. 

She knew that they already knew enough to pity her.

Word had spread about her abrupt removal from the stage like wildfire. The rumors ranged from becoming an “offering” all the way to beheading. When she showed back up looking none the worse for wear, the speculation quickly stopped from what had happened and switched to who. Hermione thought those speculations were even more embarrassing.

“Maybe its Zabini, I’ve heard he’s looking for someone new lately…” she heard Amanda Davies whisper behind her to Elyra Mcmillon. That was just the tip of the ice burg.

The who she could never tell. The humiliation and perversion of it all, of being consistently assaulted and debased by Draco Malfoy was too much to publicly bear.

Even worse that he was absolutely mad.

Aside from licking her wounds Hermione had spent most of her time in her room trying to puzzle out the perplexing conundrum that had become Draco Malfoy.

On the surface he was still that pompous, arrogant ferret she’d gone to school with, but dive just beneath that and he was obsessed and controlling. And there was more, she’d found the man who seemed almost as tired as she was, and then there was his plan! 

Great Merlin his plan, she supposed. It was laughable really. But he was not laughing at all.

That may have been the hardest part of the whole ordeal for her to comprehend. The simple fact that Draco Malfoy, Death Eater royalty wants to destroy it all. She just could not make heads nor tails of it and that was a major problem. It was literally causing Hermione to lose sleep at night now.

He didn’t really have a plan, so to say. His entire synopsis seemed to rest on her coming up with most of the ideas and then utilizing his clout and connections for follow through. Which sure sounds logical is an extremely macro birds eye view level as far as a plan goes. 

But did he really expect her to just come up with a way to save the world on a drop of his whim?

She suddenly found herself pacing her room restless and full of energy.

If her, Harry, and Ron, combined with countless other high-powered wizards could not accomplish defeating the Dark Lord what makes Draco think she and he could? This was not just some silly assignment for school we were talking about. He was wanting to risk their lives.

Hermione shook her head laughing, trying to rid herself of his idea, but unable to shake the worry that gnawed at her.

With her officially being “mask less” it put her in a very precarious situation. The last time they had come close to dealing with something of this size had been a year ago when Nott Sr. had unmasked Ginny. 

For months it had been terrible. Nott had been so excited to realize he was in the possession of Harry Potter’s old flame and took great pleasure in torturing her. 

If it hadn’t been for the potions, Hermione didn’t think she would have made it through. Ginny was strong, but Hermione had witnessed even stronger witches brought down from less. 

There was one particularly bad incident where he’d actually landed her a St. Mungos’ healer and two months recovery time. Through it all though Ginny refused to break. 

The fact the Ginny was out of commission didn’t stop him from still coming around though, all of the girls were getting their fair share of stories. An unwanted grope here, an uninvited solicitation there, and the girl he actually did book rooms with. Bless their hearts they handled it far worse than Ginny ever did. 

It was, however, curious enough that during Ginny’s two months that Dolohov died in a mysterious accident while on official big boss man business. We all knew Ginny was lucky to have escaped with her life this time. Ever since Ginny though, we had learned to take the masks seriously and tried to protect them at all costs. That was why Ginny would take this the hardest and Hermione just had no idea how to tell her.

As Hermione healed and spent time in her room contemplating her new existence, she began to wonder had it really changed all that much?

She still lived in a whore house, albeit she was now officially a whore, but she still was surrounded by the same people, the world was still turning bleak and lifeless.

Now she just had to add Malfoy to her list.

Ginny took weeks even after she was cleared by the healer to get back on the stage. Hermione was stronger than that, and what she had gone through hardly compared. It was time for her to stop moping around and climb back on the proverbial horse.

Hermione let the familiarity of it all flow through her and wash her away. The music, the stage, smells, the eyes. She had missed it, the one outlet she had. 

She chewed her gum to the rhythm walking up to the pole and climbing all the way to the top. Today she felt like giving everyone a show, after all what was the worst that could happen? She would end up with a patron?

Too late for that.

She needed to see if she still had it.

Tonight, she was all whips and leather. She was taking back what she had lost. Chains dangled from various places connecting to her outfit. 

She flung her arms back slowly spinning around the pole, then kicking out with one leg she picked up momentum until she was flipping back down the pole to the growing audience beneath her, not a one in a black mask.

Tonight, as she danced, she oozed power, primal at its core. The crowd of men in front of her had never been so big. 

She used the pole, pulling endorphins from the charms placed on it, to leverage her more complicated leg maneuvers. 

“Mmmm.” She missed the rush too if she were being completely honest with herself.

She spied a target for the night. Blue mask, sharp tips on the end, hi watch just flashed a moment before and he was with a group of friends. 

She began to slowly stalk her way in his direction, snapping her whip on her thigh.

About halfway there she spun in her black knee-high boots, snapping her whip at a patron who had just gotten a tad too handsy. 

Money.

They loved it when we were violent, especially when it fit the character, and this was right in Amora’s dominatrix alley. She smirked.

She crouched before him, snatching out before he could blink and grabbing his tie.

They went wild around her.

“What’s this?” She asked the daring patron. He was in an obnoxious orange mask that flickered with magical flames. “You wanted to meet me up close and personal, did you?”

She kicked out one leg resting the heel on his shoulder, pushing him back in his chair while she maintained the same pressure with his tie wrapped around her fingers.

“Are we getting close enough yet?”

His eyes were glazed over with lust and nearly bugging out of his head. Hermione grinned. The money reigned. She drug the tip of her whip to play across his chest, before giving him a firm smack.

Of course, she still effing had it.

She gave him one more final tug before kicking off him and returning to the now begging field of men around her. Shaking her hips to the beat and discarding yet another piece of clothing.

“Where are you taking me!” She demanded. Again, Dublin had been sent for her, luckily this time after her performance. She barely had enough time to throw a robe on before being driven from the “powder room” and down another hall. Again, this was a hall she recognized, not that she frequented here either, but who was she to judge. “Dublin, this is the way to the private viewing rooms. Why are you taking me here?”

“Take ye a wil’ guess miss.” He eyed her out of the side of his eye.

Oh. 

Malfoy had not sent for her in over a week. At first, she didn’t dance, she didn’t do anything, not even leave her room. And then after all her marks faded, and she came back to herself, she put on the mask. A choice it seemed she was going to pay dearly for.

Draco was not alone in the room when Hermione arrived. Theodore stood just off to the side as Draco paced back and forth.

Hermione just watched him, unsure of what to think of his current state of mind. Desperate for some clue, she looked to Theo for help, but he either didn’t see her or simply refused to meet her eyes.

“What was one of the very first things I said to you our first evening together?” 

“Umm..” 

Think Hermione, think. Thinking still wasn’t the easiest, she wasn’t quite sure how long it took the stage drug to leave their systems, but she knew she was good for at least another fifteen minutes.

There were so very many first things that were said that evening, but surely there must be something he was referencing in particular.

“You don’t like to share…” she half whispered under her voice.

“Oh.” He stopped pacing then, “You did understand me then. So what?” 

He took a step toward her, his finger aimed right at her face.

“Pray tell.”

Another step.

“Was that?”

He’d stopped just inches away from touching her and jabbed over her shoulder at the stage balcony viewing area. 

She just looked at him defiantly. There had been no “house drugging” tonight, so she wasn’t going to be forced to answer him if she didn’t want to.

She waited for a solid thirty seconds for him to realize this.

“Shite!” He picked up a glass and threw it across the room. 

“And look at you your pupils are blown to hell!” He was fuming, a raging storm about to come to its crescendo. 

Hermione watched wide eyed, glancing to Theo every now and then, as Draco ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he seemed to war with a decision.

He calmed before Hermione’s eyes, but one look into his told her that he was anything but. 

“So, here’s what I think. “ 

She rolled her eyes at his pause for dramatic effect.

“I think you want the attention of other men still.” He threw his hands up and took two steps back in mock surrender. Gracefully Draco took a seat on the couch. He smirked at her and she knew she was in trouble.

“Theo.”

That was all he said, it was all he had to. It was understood she had just been offered up to Theodore Nott like a common side dish.

“No! Malfoy, please!” she begged as soon as she felt Theo step up behind her. 

No, this could, absolutely not be happening. Even Malfoy wasn’t capable of being this cruel.

The first thing Theo’s hands went for was her robe. He ripped it from her bodice leaving her in nothing but boots and her knickers.

She pleaded with Draco through her eyes to stop this, but she knew he was not going to stop. His eyes were alight with rage and lust. He was enjoying her punishment. 

He leaned back and conjured a glass of fire whisky to drink as he enjoyed the show.

She could taste the tears as they streamed down her stubborn set face. Hermione was sure she could think her way through this one she just had to ride out enough to learn.

She felt Theo’s hands grope up the sides of her breasts kneading one before pinching her nipple causing her to gasp.

Draco’s eyebrow quirked as he sipped from his glass, but he made not comment.

She could play. Of course, she could play, if it was safe. 

Hermione sniffed. Resolving herself to this new game.

“Please, Theo you don’t have to do this.” She switched tactics and begged Theo directly in the most pathetic voice she could muster.

He paused in his trail up her thigh before he seemed to shake it off and continue.

Good, he’s not enjoying this.

She started out by just leaning into Theo just a little more. Small steps, she told herself, as she kept her eyes trained on Draco the entire time. She watched as he eyed them back with an almost bored expression, she was looking for even the slightest change, the smallest shift in his expression.

She wanted to wipe that bored look off his smug little ferret face.

Theo stiffened behind her, instantly alarmed. He was aware of the change in her body language immediately.

This one she would have to watch. He was smarter than he seemed.

As she felt his hand glide across her hips, she leaned into him entirely. Letting Theo take over the situation. He roved down sliding his hand between her thighs, caressing her gently. The pained groan that left his lips was not lost on her.

That was kind of cute. Pity.

She let the shiver show as it passed up her spine, this Draco saw, but again he said nothing. 

Hermione glared at him across the room. Some small irrational part of her was furious that after all that talk from their last time together, he would just act so blasé about her body’s reaction to another man.

This time when his thumb made another sweep over her bud she didn’t try to stifle a sound she made. 

Theo instantly froze.

She rested her head on the back of his chest and watched as Draco too froze. His eyes were locked with hers, no longer dull and indifferent, but ablaze. With what though she had yet to find out.

That was another of the lessons she had learned in her three days with him. She never knew what his reaction was going to be to any game she tried.

Hermione could feel Theo’s heart beating loudly in his chest against her, making her wonder if she too should be scared? 

But what was the worst that could happen? He had already given her to the man… had he not?

Draco’s eyes never left hers as he brought his drink back up to his lips, a slow smile spreading across his face.

Hermione had a great poker face now, thank Merlin for that, so she was able to hide her smug smile with ease. 

She’d figured it out. 

This entire thing had been a lesson to teach her how much he didn’t like to share. She knew how possessive he was, she’d already witnessed it firsthand. Add that to the fact that Theo was strategically planted behind her from the very moment she entered the room. This whole thing was orchestrated, which was why Malfoy had remained so calm. 

It was all another display of power to scare her into obedience, nothing more.

Draco downed the remainder of his glass before slowly shifting his eyes to the mans over her shoulder. Smile still in place, he gave Theo one curt nod, and conjured a refill.

What was this?

Theo let out a deep sigh of what could have been regret before he dove his hand into the front of her panties.   
She let out a startled gasp, eyes alight on Malfoy across the room. 

This was NOT supposed to happen! 

Panicked, she tried to double over to escape but Theo had already tightened his other arm across her chest securing her to him. 

“Always were the top of the class, weren’t we Granger?” Draco asked toasting her as he watched his friend’s fingers gliding into her entrance.

Her chest was heaving. It felt like she couldn’t take in enough oxygen, she was going to pass out.

She felt one finger slip inside her and was thankful that Theo was being gentle at least. 

“Just breathe…” hot breath ghosted across the shell of her ear and suddenly she didn’t feel so alone. He tightened his arm against her again pulling her back against him. This time she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat and allowed it to take her elsewhere. To a time before, before all the death.

Theo treated her sweet and reminded her of Ron. If she really wanted to pretend…

He added another finger and she gasped arching into him. What had only started to feel good moments before had officially taken off into pleasure territory. 

He twisted and crooked his fingers making her cry out and fist her hands in his trousers.

“I told you she would like the touch of another man, Theo.”

Hermione’s eyes shot open. She had almost completely forgotten about the snake in the room. 

He had leaned forward towards them, giving them his undivided attention. His eyes were trained on her, her every move, and every breath. 

When his eyes met hers, her breath caught in her throat. The heat and intensity she saw there fueled hew own and she let out a cry as she spasmed around Theo’s hand.

“That’s it, Princess.” Theo praised in her ear and she felt herself clench again as he gave a cursory glance with his thumb across her clit. 

“You did Draco. I just didn’t think she would respond like this.” He responded to Draco whilst breathing into her neck and pressing his arousal against her. She moaned.

“Granger do you know how easy it would be to have your mouth around my cock right now? While Theo fucks you with his hand.” Draco arched a brow at her, leant back a took another swig of his fire whisky.

She cried out again. Eyes wide at his imagery as she realized what he was doing. 

Oh gods! What was wrong with her? These two men literally had her coming in the palm of their hands.

“Mmm Princess. You like that idea?” The low purr in her ear had her climbing. 

The gentle tug on her hair had her leaping.

“That can be arranged.” The sound of Draco’s belt coming undone had her soaring.

She didn’t yell out a name this time. 

Whose name would she yell? 

They had both been equally responsible for making her orgasm. 

Draco watched ravenously as Theo rode her down. He held all her weight now.

“Fucking beautiful, Princess.” Theo whispered causing one more lingering chill to roll down her body.

She whimpered. The pleasure of what she had just experienced had been too much, she couldn’t even support her own weight. There was no way she would be able to fight him off from taking this further.

“Enough.” Draco stood up abruptly. “Theo put her down. We are leaving.”

Theo took yet another deep sigh before releasing her to crumple to the floor. 

“What? You’re leaving me here, just like that?” She asked from her heap below them.

Draco waived Theo on ahead and waited for him to leave them before he turned and addressed her.

He stood there for what felt like a solid minute looking at her with cold disdain. 

“You wanted other men to touch you, so I let another man touch you Granger. But I for one will not be one of them tonight.” He spoke coolly and very matter of fact as he pulled on each sleeve of his robe on one at a time. “I already told you I don’t share.”

Her mouth fell open as she watched him turn to leave.

“Oh, and Hermione? The next time you do see me I expect you to be clean and properly attired. You reek of other men.” He was just about to close the door when he added one final statement. “Also, I will absolutely not tolerate any more dancing from this moment forward.”

The door closed behind him in finality. Hermione at a complete loss on the balcony floor.

She had figured out his game, but he had still come out ahead. She had underestimated just how far he would go once again. Yet another lesson learned.

Thankfully, Dublin had been outside the door waiting for her with a robe since most of her clothes were ruined. Unfortunately, the robe had been one of the ones Draco left behind so it barely covered up anything. 

The other unfortunate thing was that she was mask less, and she had left the “powder room” earlier mask less as well. There was no questioning what had happened to her, but now they were going to demand to know who. If there were no masks involved it meant it was a serious thing. 

Ginny was going to be furious with her for not telling her sooner. She’s probably already waiting; they all probably are. The common room is most likely full. 

The pit of her stomach began to fill with dread.

How was she possibly going to explain this? What parts could she explain, or did she even want attempt to? 

She thought back on what she had just experienced not ten minutes before.

That was a definite no. 

She could hear all the loud voices from outside the door as she got close enough to know she was right about everyone waiting for an explanation. She also knew that she had just been the current topic of conversation the moment that she stepped through the door effectively silencing the room. 

It was Ginny of course who charged to the forefront just as Hermione had presumed.

“Is it true!” The fiery red head demanded more than questioned.

“Gin.”

“Just. Tell me.” Ginny held her hand up pausing her excuses before she could begin. “Is it true?”

Hermione nodded her head slowly. Whispers erupted around her from all the girls. All of them most likely theories and guesses as to who is was.

“Who?” Ginny spoke so quietly that she almost didn’t hear here.

“Ginny, no...”

“Who is it!” 

Hermione met Ginny’s eyes head on. She knew that she was going to tell Ginny who it was soon. She also knew that everyone was going to find out eventually. She just really would have liked a little more time. 

Best to go on and bite the bullet then.

“Malfoy.” Hermione spoke in a barely audible whisper. 

Some of the girls around her asked her Who? Again, but Hermione heard Ginny audibly gasp as she brought her hands up to cup her face.

“Draco Malfoy…” Ginny murmured back and the questions around them turned to gasps of shock.

“The one and the same.”

After allowing her to shower off the effects from the evening.

They sat around each other, offering their almost ritualistic comfort as Hermione did her best to try to explain how everything had come to where she was finding herself now. She spoke of that first dance, where she labeled

Malfoy, Mr. Black, as the nights target and then of his sudden disappearance. To which many of the girls had opinions on the way she danced to begin with, but one withering look from Gin was all it took to shut them right up.

Hermione then told them of what happened to her after she was removed from the stage, meeting Theo, the pink potion he had given her, and her complete lack of control.

All the girls could speak to the effects of the potion. Some favored using it while with their patrons while others did not like the way it made the mindless… and the rest were given no option at all. Those Hermione felt the most sympathy with.

When her story started to break, when she was not sure how to explain that she enjoyed so much of what he’d done to her. The loss of control had been exhilarating. Living on the edge had broken the monotony. And the fact that he was completely bonkers was hilarious and meant she never had a dull moment. All she had to do was stay alive, but wasn’t that what she was doing anyway?

So, when Pavarti was more than too willing to offer up the effects of the potion as an excuse for any abnormal responses as an out Hermione took it. And when all the girls then all implied the he had kept her dosed with the potion the entire three days she did not correct them. Even more so when it was presumed, she had been given a dose of it just before being returned to the room after his visit that evening she did not argue again. 

What she did miss was the strange look Ginny gave her when she didn’t.

She did tell him she questioned his sanity most times, but she did not tell them about his desire to destroy Voldemort’s world.

She didn’t know why, but something about that seemed important to keep to herself.

She sighed and pulled the blanket around her tighter. The worst part of her story had been her inner revelations. She was just as fractured as he was. And just as twisted and messed up.

“So,” Angelina leaned in cautiously, almost as though she was afraid to ask her question, “how are you going to keep him?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Well, you said so yourself that he’s not allowing you to play any of your usual games with him. What if he gets bored, it seems like he’s just taking everything he wants with zero regards to a timeframe.”

Several of the other girls bobbed their heads in agreement and Hermione sat there. Her eyes transfixed on Ginny who sat wide eyed staring straight back at her.

What was she going to do?

Until he grew bored of her. What happened then? Hermione already knew she had zero control in how this game was played with him. If there was nothing she could do on her end to keep his interest what would he do to her?

Again, the girls around her were very forthcoming with tips and advice on how to best hold his interest. Hermione was just frankly baffled that she had not even considered this aspect a possibility. While she knew the girls were just trying to help she also was not interest in hearing about any more of their bedroom tricks.

He did tell her the only reason he was doing any of this was simply out of boredom. 

They had just been two spiders unlucky enough to entangle each other in the others web.

“Did he say when he was coming back?” Angelina asked?

“Of course, he did! All new patrons can’t wait to get back here as soon as they can.” Katie shared from her bountiful experience.

“The first time he kept her for three days straight!” That was Gin exclaiming across the room.

Hermione just gave a small smile. Not willing to give out any more information on her situation. At least not until she was alone with Ginny and they could think of something to do. 

Hermione spent many a night asleep in Ginny’s bed wrapped around her. Tonight, Ginny would do the same. The moment the door closed Hermione spun around and motioned for Ginny to be quiet.

“Gin I absolutely must tell you something very important.”

“Okay…” the red head eyed her skeptically while moving to make herself comfortable on Hermione’s over-plush queen-sized bed, one of the luxuries she’d splurged for using her merits.

“Gin, I don’t know when he’s coming back, or if he even is!” she let out in a panicked rush, finally starting to let herself feel the weight of some of the potential implications. “The last time he saw me he left me on the ground nearly naked in a heap on the floor.”

Hermione let lose a panicked sob and stopped to breathe.

“Well hey, lets look on the bright side. You did say you were naked on the floor.” She offered a lighthearted grin trying to alleviate some of the stress of the situation. 

Hermione threw her head back and groaned. Of course, she presumed she was naked because of him. 

“Hey? What is it?” Ginny pulled back the covers and patted the bed comfortingly. “Whatever it is I know there is no way we can’t figure it out together.”

She remembered when they were first ushered out of Hogwarts after that last battle. She remembered the deafening silence that followed the thud of Harry’s lifeless body to the ground. She remembered the disbelief that they had lost, so many continued to fight back, they were Avaded on the spot. Hermione had fallen to her knees, her eyes not leaving the black-haired bespectacled boy shed called her best friend. She vaguely heard Ron wailing somewhere off in the distance before he charged and he to was Avaded right then and there. 

At some point Ginny had come to kneel hopelessly beside her and they clung to each other’s hands in desperation. Hermione broke right then and there, Ginny holding on to her hand for dear life.

People around her ran. Others screamed, some laughed, all Hermione could really hear was the buzzing in her ears.

Next to Harry and Ron she and Ginny were desirable number ones. Word spread like wildfire that they were to be taken alive. They vowed right then and there that they would do everything in their power to avoid being separated, they had to take care of each other now. At least until the order regrouped and found a way to fix this. 

They were taken to a detention center where they were questioned and tortured regularly. The were of course one of the top war prizes to be won. Ginny and Hermione just held onto faith that the order would arrive soon.

Only the order never did fix it. The order disbanded and disappeared. 

And the detention center eventually became the training facilities.

She snuggled into the blankets next to Ginny.

“Hey Gin?” Hermione rolled over to face her in the moonlight. The moon cast a perfect halo against her friend’s auburn hair.

“Mmhmm.”

“Do you remember when we were younger, and we used to lay just like this… and talk?”

Ginny nodded with a soft smile. She had understood what Hermione was really asking her. They used to lay like this for hours when they were younger and tell each other everything, and she means everything. 

She had known way too much information about Harry and his penis for her liking. To be perfectly fair she was sure Ginny felt the same, about Ron. But also Ginny got to get the scoop on Krum too so that kind of made up for it.

So that’s what they did, they created their safe zone and they talked. Hermione told Ginny everything leaving absolutely nothing out even down to Theo on the balcony. When she was done Ginny was speechless.

“That’s a lot to chew at once.” Was all she said once she finally found her voice again.

“Yes, it is.” Hermione agreed wholeheartedly.

They lay there in silence both thinking through her problems. Then it struck her.

“Ginny? What if the solution to my problem isn’t a solution at all but another problem in itself?” 

She smacked herself on the forehead. 

How stupid could she be. How could this not have occurred to her earlier.

“Mione, I don’t think I quite follow.”

“I need to keep him interested right?” She bounced to her knees in excitement, knowing shed finally found and answer to her problems, well the most pressing one anyway. 

“Right..”

“So….” She held her arm out like she was waiting for Ginny to fill in the gaps, “I’m going to help him destroy the world!”

It had been in front of her face the whole time. How could she have been so blind. 


	3. Princesses Don't Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **updated to include image of Hermione in her dress**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Princesses Don’t Cry
> 
> Girls, so pretty and poised  
> And soft to the touch  
> But God made me rough  
> Girls, so heavy the crown  
> They carry it tall  
> But it's weighing me down
> 
> No, I'm fine  
> I'm lying on the floor again  
> Cracked door  
> You're only going to let them in, once  
> And you won't come undone
> 
> 'Cause a princess doesn't cry (no-oh)  
> A princess doesn't cry (no-oh, oh)  
> Over monsters in the night  
> Don't waste our precious time  
> On boys with pretty eyes
> 
> A princess doesn't cry (no-oh)  
> A princess doesn't cry (no-oh, oh)  
> Burning like a fire  
> You feel it all inside  
> But wipe your teary eyes
> 
> 'Cause princesses don't cry  
> Don't cry, don't cry, oh  
> Don't cry  
> Don't cry, oh  
> Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, oh  
> 'Cause princesses don't cry – Aviva/Cary
> 
> also as usual: I own no right to the Harry Potter universe or any of its character, just my spiraling plunnie.

Hermione had to give it to the girls, no one treated her any differently after that night. To them she was no more broken, bruised, or bloodied than she’d been before. Sure, they hated it for her, but they knew that once we were shoved in this life this was it. This was their end, they would all succumb to the brothel one way of another.

They did start talking however when another week went by without Hermione being called on. That, they couldn’t make heads nor tails of. And, once again, the rumors started, at a whisper around day three and by day six it was all she could do to avoid the looks and questioning glares. That was when the whispers of her becoming an “offering” began. That one was the worst.

“Offerings” were what the purebloods referred to the muggleborn witches that they used for surrogacy. The war had hit everyone hard and hey, a witch was a witch, especially when there was magic to fix that pesky problem. The only issue was, well one of many truly, was that once a witch left for an “offering” she never returned.

We all knew why.

However, on day seven a package arrived for Amora that would silence them all, even Hermione.

It was a ball. Literally. The lounge was hosting a bloody gala for its patrons and whatever escort he chose for the evening. She read the letter that had just arrived attached to a rather large parcel wrapped in a bow. The tag was signed “Sir.”

She laughed out to herself. What type of absurd notion was this, to parade the mudbloods around to see who had the most disgustingly beautiful arm candy?

She would bet all the merits in her account that there was some type of dress in that box that Draco obviously expected her to wear for the evening.

She was just reaching out to tug on the large black bow when Ginny came bursting in her door ranting and waving the same invitation she had just received herself.

“Have you seen this?” She shrieked nearly causing Hermione to cover her ears.

“I just finished reading it myself, completely ridiculous if you ask me.” Hermione wandered over to pour herself some morning tea, “Two sugars?”

The box sat forgotten and abandoned on her bed.

Ginny nodded before continuing on her tirade again. “Ridiculous is putting it mildly. What is the purpose in the whole gala that we are all supposed to attend?”

At this Hermione looked up. “Did everyone get an invitation?” She paused midway from pouring her own tea to go next to Gin’s.

Ginny nodded taking sip, “Just about.”

Hermione bowed her head in understanding. She sipped her tea while she contemplated what the true reason behind this even was. Knowing the purebloods it was not going to be anything actually pleasant, would it?

One by one their inner circle made it to Hermione’s room for tea as they did most mornings when distressing news was discovered, first to arrive after Gin was Pavarti, then Katie with Angelina following up the rear as always.

As they discussed different possibilities as to why the event was taking place in the first place sipping their tea it was Pavarti’s sharp eyes that never miss a thing who noticed the discrepancy.

“Hey guys look at this.” She had separated their invitations into two piles, Hermione, Katie and Angelina’s in one and the rest in the other. She waved her hands over them, “They are not the same.”

“Of course they are, we all got invited to the same party.” Katie reasoned.

“Yeah when I saw Hermione’s it looked just like mine.” Ginny piped in.

“Right!” Pavarti exclaimed, “But see here,” she pointed at the arrival times at the two stacks of invitations, “the times are different! These three are expected to attend at ten p.m., while we,” she motioned to the other pile, “are not invited until midnight.”

“That is odd.” Hermione leaned in studying the difference Pavarti pointed out. She had completely failed to notice the discrepancy when Ginny had first presented hers, but there it was now plain as day.

She, Angelina, and Katie were to arrive two hours before the other girls.

“I wonder how many other girls are invited to the earlier time?” She contemplated outloud.

“Even worse, why?” All eyes in the room turned to the ginger who was looking at Hermione’s invitation in horror.

“Gin, its okay. We don’t know for sure that it means anything at all.” Hermione tried her best to console her friend.

Of course, there was something to it. Any idiot would know that the purebloods were definitely up to something.

But she tried none the less. Ginny just looked at her like she was stupid. Yeah, at least her friend wasn’t an idiot.

The girls sat in Hermione’s room contemplating all of the possibilities of what this could mean. They also couldn’t help but to also falter off on the subject of what was best to wear. Were they expected to wear their stage attire?

This was for the patrons after all.

“Hey ‘Mione, what’s this box over here?”

Oh, she’d completely forgotten about the other part of her morning delivery. She hopped up and skipped over to join Ginny by the bed. They both stared down at the box, Ginny flipping the name tag over and over in her fingers.

“Sir?” she asked quietly so the others couldn’t overhear.

Hermione nodded, eyes downcast. “And in this box I’m sure is whatever overly sexy dress he wants me to wear to the gala.”

“Well go on Hermione and open it then!” the others had finally come around to see what had their attention. “At least this way we will have a better idea of what we are expected to wear as well.” Angelina chimed in.

“Also, we are all dying to know, this has been the most suspenseful patronage ever.” Katie shouldered Angelina as some more of the girls made themselves more comfortable on her bed curious as well as to what Draco had procured for her.

“What? You were all thinking it.” She accused brandishing her half-eaten granola bar at them.

“Yeah, but we were all polite enough to not say anything about it!” Katie pointed back with her finger.

Hermione’s fingers once again touched the fabric of the velvety black bow and she slowly began to pull it away from the box. Lifting its lid caused all the girls to gasp.

The dress was a lovely shade of emerald green with fine intricate lace and beading detail. The waist cinching bodice had a sweetheart neckline that plunged so low Hermione knew she would not be able to wear a bra with this dress. The floor length hem had a slit that looked like it would travel almost all the way up to the juncture of Hermione’s thighs. But what really had the girls all “oohing and ahing” was the ever-flowing emerald lace train that trailed around the dress.

The dress came accompanied with sharp silver stilettos that looked like a pair of intertwining snakes. He added a set of expensive dangling earrings that matched the shoes perfectly, they had snakes that would climb the shell of her ear, and of course the outfit would not be complete without a matching slithery necklace. Aside from how beautiful everything was Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at his sheer obtuseness. The snakes we definitely a bit over kill, even if the black diamonds in their eyes did set the dress off magnificently.

Okay so maybe he had taste…

“So, what about this then?” Ginny asked and any part of her that had just been impressed with Draco instantly died.

That was not funny one bit!

Hermione felt like every single pair of eyes was trained on her as she entered the Lounge’s seldom used ball room that evening. To be honest with herself this time she couldn’t blame them. She knew how she looked, and she looked sinful.

Draco was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, not quite smiling but she could see it in his eyes just the same. He was not wearing a mask, which confused her. As she left her room that evening a mask materialized on her  
face to perfectly match her attire. She looked around, very few others were not wearing masks as well, she could count the number on one hand. None of them were women.

He held his hand out to her as she reached the bottom and she graciously took it as he placed his hand on her arm and turned to escort her to a dinner table where most people could be seen mingling.

“That dress Hermione…” he murmured under his breath looking down at her with a heated expression.

So that was it then, everything was back to normal. Hot one minute and cold the next. He was going to give her whiplash trying to keep up.

“Shh! Amora, I’m Amora here. And where’s your mask?” She fired in rapid succession.

“Don’t need it.” He casually shrugged looking around a tad distractedly.

“But I see you found the tiara, might I say what a lovely touch it is.” He turned back to her appraisingly, he fingered a loose strand of her hair and tucked it back into place behind her double snake tiara. It had been the one thing  
he threw in that he knew she would hate. She couldn’t wait to rip it off and throw it at him later.

One more person entered the room and then everyone was ushered to their places at the table. Hermione followed beside Draco, catching the envy in all the girl’s eyes as well as the men. She spotted Katie seated a little ways towards the back of the table with her name card place before her. Her dress was beautiful too, a classic evening gown almost as lovely as any pureblood witch would wear, all of the girls’ dresses were. But none of them were a sparkling jewel like Hermione’s.

“Draco…” she tugged on his arm after the fourth time she had to retaliate a glare, “I feel so over dressed compared to everyone else. Surely you were aware of the dress code.” She was she to whisper quietly as to not let any of the other patrons hear her.

“Rubbish,” Draco waved her off and smirked, “Of course I was aware of the dress code. I too look rather debonair, don’t I?”

It was true. His outfit was just as equally nice as her own, he looked pristine in a solid black tux with just a hint of green peeking out at his pocket square, tie, and the emeralds on his cufflinks, dragons of course.

“Now quit worrying and take your seat, you look ravishing.” He pulled out a chair for her and Hermione sat. When she glanced back up from getting her dress situated, she was surprised to find that she was staring down the entire table. This time she knew for sure all eyes were on her, or at least at the wizard behind her at the head of the table.

Hermione could see her own shock reflected in Angelina’s eyes who was only about five chairs down from her. Katie she could not see as clearly.

“Gentlemen and mudbloods,” Most of the men chuckled at Draco’s joke at the girls behest, “I want to welcome you here all today to the First Annual Bidding Gala, not only as your host, not only as the owner of this lovely establishment, but as a fellow patron.”

Owner…

The men in the room erupted around them with murmurs at this greeting, all of their eyes instantly flashing down to Hermione. Apparently, this was some sort of news, that was an interesting tid-bit she would stash for later.  
Right then she had still been stuck on the “owner” part of this whole situation.

Draco took his seat next to her after everyone murmured their confused toasts in the galas honor.

“Well you look awfully pleased with yourself.” She muttered to him. If the men had been envious before they were green with it now. The fact that he would so publicly claim her…

He sighed and rubbed her thigh intimately, “You’ll learn in life one day Amora that it’s the small things. Otherwise you never get a chance to outweigh the big ones.”

“Wow, that was oddly deep for this moment.”

Hermione watched as Draco’s eyes dimmed and he just shrugged before giving her leg another squeeze.

The house elves brought out course after course, Hermione had been surprised to see that the girls were being treated just like the men at the table. She watched curiously as different patrons would go out of their way to make  
conversations with the different women all around them. This was also when she noted the seating arrangement was a little off as well… but maybe it was to simulate couples.

She heard Angelina giggle across the table at something a middle-aged patron said and her spoonful of appear tart paused halfway to her open mouth.

She slowly set the spoon down, a ball of dread winding deep in her gut. She lifted her napkin and patted her lips delicately, trying to compose herself for the question she was about to have to ask. Scared, very, very scared of the answer she might receive.

“Sir.” She cleared her throat; he’d been sitting there quietly next to her throughout the entire dinner. Only keeping up enough conversation to be polite. Hermione couldn’t help but notice that his mood seemed to sour as the night drew on.

“Hmm.” He mumbled in response as he stroked his chin. He stared idly down the table never stopping on one set of people for too long, like he was monitoring something.

“What type of gala did you say this was again?” she audibly swallowed.

He did not turn to look at her but he did quit moving, letting her know she had his complete focus.

“Took you long enough. Amora look at the exits.”

She did as she was told and coughed on her drink of water. At some point during the dinner each door had been lined with a set of bodyguards, and standing beside them quietly were what appeared to be henchmen?

This was bad.

She tried catching Angelina’s eye but to no avail, she was too caught up in whatever the warlock next to her was saying, or pretending to be anyway. Everyone knew her real laugh sounded like a dying horse.

“Don’t bother my gem, we are about to begin.” He mumbled into her hair as he pushed out of his chair and Hermione’s heart out of her chest.

With that Draco stood and all the plates on the table disappeared. All conversations ceased and every eye instantly traveled to him. The men’s expressions only seemed to grow even more overjoyed, while the girls, who had finally taken notice of Hermione again now saw the terror in her eyes.

“Now for the second order of business of the evening. The Bidding.”

Elves walked out and placed trays with enchanted pens and parchments before the patrons.

“You have before you your standard bidding means. You can bet funds, houses, make side deals, do whatever it pleases you to do so, just please remember to keep it cordial. I will be able to monitor all the biddings from my master scroll from up here. “With a flick of his wand down the table Draco immobilized every woman to her chair. Looks of panic crossed the room in all directions pleading for help.

“Don’t move…” he mumbled under his breath so only she could hear.

Hermione stared out in horror at all the girls frozen in their seats before her as the men began caressing and prodding at them.

“Also, one other thing I should mention,” Draco chose that moment to add in, “You can only remove the mask of a woman you are interested in bidding on. And no worries the way tonight’s charm works only the remover will see the wearers true face. This will instantly add the mudblood’s name to your “Offering candidate list.”

“Draco no you can’t,” he cast a wordless silencio faster than she thought possible, and when she tried to move again, she realized he too had immobilized her.

Draco took the seat next to her and pulled out the master parchment that over saw the bidding transaction.

Hermione watched in shock as Angelina’s name popped up on the ledger over and over again. When she turned to look at the horrified witch, she was being groped and caressed by at least five men.

Meanwhile while Angelina’s name could not stay off the bidding list, she had yet to see Katies anywhere. When she found her, she realized why? If there was one thing Katie could do it was playing the vacant dumb blonde really well, beyond the point of annoyance truly. She was dissuading any patrons from demasking her.

It was like that around the room, most of the men were circling the girls like vultures while a few grateful chair flowers were holding little interest.

Hermione watched in horror and awe. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing happening tonight.

He was selling them!

And what if her name popped up on the ledger?

“No worries, Granger.” Draco spoke as if he read her mind. “You are officially off limits.”

He then motioned with his hand and all the sheet of paper returned to their owner’s rightful chairs, effectively placing the room back in order.

“And let the bidding begin.” Draco ordered rather flatly, and Mundungus Fletcher stepped up and held his wand to his throat to amplify his voice.

This is where all the old cows went to pasture.

Once the actual bidding started things more often than not did get ugly. The issue was that they were only allowed one offering at a time, and of course you wanted the best to produce your heir.

Bids were written in on the parchment and announced just as fast as Fletcher kept up with all the action. Several shady split deals occurred where men agreed to come together to beat another patrons bid, they just both got to use her when they wanted…until.

Every time a girl’s name was called her mask would disappear like smoke, signifying that she would no longer belong to the Lounge. Tears were running down Hermione’s face as girl after girl was hauled off in her chair and out of the room. Each going to being their new training for their life as an “Offering.”

When Angelina’s name came up and Hermione watched as her mask evaporated. Draco rested his hand on her thigh in support. Hermione wanted to scream. She swore she could almost feel her magic sizzling beneath the surface once again, ready to take on the world. The man who finally won Angelina had been the middle-aged wizard who had held her attention most of the night.

He immobilized her when his henchmen came to get her and she stood as fast as she could, looking for an escape route.

“Good I like it when the fight back, it means they scream.” He turned his back on her and walked away, leaving his henchmen to gather the fighting Angelina over their shoulders as her screams echoed around the silent hall.

“Hermione! Help!” She yelled out but Hermione was unable to move, like she had been just moments ago herself. But Draco was the owner; surely he could stop this!

She looked up at him wide eyed and he was completely shuttered to the world.

“Katie…” She sobbed, collapsing in on herself I defeat. “Please, no…no, no, no, no…”

Hermione’s tears flowed even more freely as Angelina’s voice kept echoing around the hall. As she begged to not be carried off to her own death row.

“Katie…” Angelina gave one last cry before she was out of the door. “I love you!”

“I know.” It was the only thing Katie had been able to do to break through the charm, but Hermione and the whole hall heard it. Most of all Angelina did right before the door closed on her maskless face.

After Angelina it became the fashion to remobilize the girls to watch them scream and fight. Some chose not to give in to the satisfaction and walked out with quiet dignity, Hermione was sure they would pay for it later. She was proud of them mostly anyway.

Eventually Hermione learned to tune it out. There were about thirty girls to get through and they still weren’t halfway there yet.

She took a chug of her wine, she froze on the way down realizing Draco had lifted his jinx. He probably sensed the defeat emanating from her every pore.

Fletcher called out names, girls screamed, men laughed… and she drank.

When the last girl was escorted pridefully out of the room only seven girls from the early invitation group remained sitting among all the patrons who had chosen not to leave with their acquisitions. Katie and Hermione were two of them. They looked between each other alarmed wondering what was in store next.

She looked at the time they had ten minutes until midnight, when the rest of the girls would be arriving. Logically they weren’t going to let them leave after having witnessed what they just had. It would just throw the club into chaos.

“Obliviate.” Hermione heard Draco before she realized what he was doing. Before her eyes he circled the room going to each of the remaining petrified girls and obliviated them himself. Hermione watched as he got to Katie and seemed to give her special attention. She was rocking back and forth in her chair a complete blubbery mess. We had all known the was something between her and Angelina this last year, but had never said anything. It didn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.

“Obliviate…” Hermione heard him whisper and watched as Katie’s tears dried away. In moments she was just as happy as Hermione had seen her when she first waked into the ballroom.

The other girls started arriving then and the music switched into gear. Their dresses were a tad more flamboyant than the ones who had just left before them. Each was given a class of pink glittery champagne as they hit the bottom of the stairs and Hermione could figure out what the rest of the nigh t was. These were the younger girls. Girls who just missed the cut off for the safest reproductive years. Now the men got to stay and mingle with them in case they weren’t fruitful tonight, you never knew when a girls birthday popped up.

Hermione watched Draco make his way over to her with trepidation, black mask back in place.

“Are you going to obliviate me too?” She squinted her eyes up at him glaring.

He chuckled grabbing themselves two pink champagnes when a waiter passed.

“It wasn’t in my plans, no.” He took a large drink, nearly draining half his flute.

That actually seemed like a good idea. She could do one better and down the whole thing in one sitting. Hell after tonight she deserved a little numbness.

“So, what were you plans then?” She placed her emptied flue on a passing tray and grabbed two new ones. Lie he did before she offered it to him.

He smirked before taking it and joining her, eyebrow lifted as the downed both their drinks in one go.

“Well I was actually going to ask you to dance…”

“Dance?” she couldn’t contain the burst of laughter that escaped her mouth though she covered her lips with both her hands.

She was already seriously feeling those drinks.

Draco nodded bashfully…

Well that was cute… no, no, no.

“After what I just watched you want me to dance with you? Even after everything that happened last week?” What in his right mind made him think that was even remotely a possibility?

He tipped his head to the side and splayed on a charming crooked smile, “Yeah. So, what do you say Amora?”

He held out his hand at a half bow waiting for her to take it.

She loathed him.

Ah what the hell, what did it all matter anyway.

She placed her hand in Draco’s and a smile lit up his face as he began to lead her around the floor. She didn’t quite know the steps, they seemed rather complicated. But she was a quick learner and was keeping pace with him in no time.

It was as Draco sensually lead her around the dance floor that Hermione realized she had been going about this all wrong with him. They weren’t playing a game at all, how could they when it was so unfairly skewed in his favor.

Everything he had been doing hadn’t been moves of a game, but had been leading her in a dance.

They were dancing. They’d always been dancing.

Now she would admit he had some extreme dance moves, but she hadn’t been cooperating, had she?

His behavior since she started complying more and actually following his lead made his behavior do a complete turn about. Almost borderline on inappropriate as far as patron relationships went, he was too nice, too respectful, too… charming.

He was sinful.

They spun and Hermione caught a glimpse of one of the boy guards by the door, and the events from just the hour before came flooding back to her.

Had he simply been lashing out

And now they were dancing. Hermione could hardly breathe and they all wanted the commence to dancing.

Those poor women!

Tears sprang to her eyes as their faces flashed before her eyes. They had been just as shocked and horror stricken as she was. While she was one of the few left standing, she had also been the ONLY one who had be forbidden to bid on. It was clear she was off limits.

She was his, the bosses trophy.

“Hermione…” Draco breathed into her hair as he pulled her in against him his palm resting low on her waist, “just breathe. It’s okay. You are okay, I will not let any harm come to you. Just calm down.”

Just calm down?! Again, he had changed the board on her, how ever did she have any chance of winning, of surviving if he made it to where she was incapable of even playing?

He took her hand in his other and began to guide her leisurely around to room. His thumb traced slow soothing circles on the exposed small of her back.

“Do you know why I brought you here tonight Amora?”

Hermione, still at a loss for words shook her head.

“I needed you to see.” He spoke softly barely above a whisper in her hair, his lip grazing her from time to time.

“To see…” she breathed. He wanted her to see, and she had. But how much was she supposed to see and what had he really wanted her to know and to what end?

She wanted to scream.

The games this man played were maddening and made absolutely no sense to her. There were absolutely no rules.

“Yes.” He titled her face up to so that her honey brown eyes met the steel gray of his own. “To see.”

She let out a small choked sob. Most of the other girls around her who had joined late were similarly rattled by their missing comrades, but they were attempting to recover much faster than she, for fear of losing their current  
dates interest and thus, his protection.

He continued to lead her around the floor in an intricate waltz as he spoke.

“Listen to me, Granger…” he hissed, “I needed you to see what the eventual end is for all of the dolls in the lounge.”

Her breath hitched as she remembered the girls screaming as she they drug them from their places at dinner and off to a side chamber. Hermione had felt their terror to her very own bones.

“This is not a place for you to grow old and die.” He continued very calmly, and very matter-of-factly. She listened intently. She was now aware that he was imparting important and highly classified information on to her. “What you saw here tonight will be the fate of each and every one of your friends here at the Lounge. Think about it.”

And she did, well had… but she just assumed they’d die before turning old. This had never crossed her mind as a possibility. She thought the “offerings” were chosen through a different method. Not all the girls came through the lounge, but she supposed there could be other clubs like this one as well.

But how horribly disgusting. They were there to be used and abused as sex toys only then to learn in the end you will still be offered to bring forth a new member of the Dark Lord’s army.

“And you!” She looked up at him, heated brown eyes bore into his skull. “You own this lovely establishment?”

She watched, fury mounting, but ensuring to maintain her pleasant façade, as Malfoy’s head simply nodded once.

Of course he would. Who else but bloody Draco Malfoy.

“You sell us.” She met his steel gray eyes with all of her burning rage. He sold them in every way possible. “And you did nothing!”

He never faltered as he continued to lead them through the steps and again he nodded.

“I do sell mudblood women, yes.” He looked like he was contemplating how to phrase his next statement. “But look around you Granger.”

He nodded towards the crowd and she really took the in on a particular slow spin. While on the surface of the pureblood society there was an air of elegance and affluence. They cared about presentation and appearances, but here the men did not. Yes, they were dressed to the nines, but they were little more than lecherous beasts over imbibing on everything the Lounge had to offer. Off in one former she saw one particular unlucky female attendee being ravaged by two men in a corner barely concealed by the curtain. The more she looked the more of what she saw disgusted her. Most were so wasted they were besides themselves, and they literally tried to stake claim to anyone without a penis between their legs than came walking by.

One patron began getting to rough with a girl on his lap at a table and she squealed in distress. The man laughed, but Hermione watched as Draco looked over at one of the men standing along the walls and nod in her direction.

The man signaled a nearby waiter as he left his position on a wall and both began to move in the direction of the pair. The girls’ distress growing more evident by the minute. From where she did not know, but the waiter  
materialized next to him and made a show of being knocked into by woman fighting to get out of the man’s arms, effectively spilling the trays drink contents all over the both of them.

The man shot up shouting expletives. Spilling the girl from his lap. She was then quickly scooped up by the bouncer who had been hanging back until this very moment and snuck her off discreetly. The drunken patron was none the wiser as he had still been distracted by the server backing the more flamboyant apologies, ultimately embarrassing the man so much that he decided to leave altogether.

Hermione thought back on her life here at the Lounge and she knew while it was a far cry from freedom, it was also the nicest gentleman’s bar to be in servitude to. Some of the other girls who had transferred in spoke of horror stories of things that were allowed to happen at the old establishments. She knew she was fed, safe, and dare she say it, pampered when she earned it. And their accommodations were not the worst in the world either, rather like a simple college dorm room, unless you had upgraded with merits of course.

Draco Malfoy ran the safest adult establishment for mudbloods, and she was even pretty sure she’d just witnessed him intercede one of his charge’s behalf.

He was actually protecting them, in his own sick and twisted way.

She knew the moment her face must have changed in dawning realization because Draco seemed to relax significantly as he moved her to the music.

“And you needed me to know that you were the owner of the Lounge, and what that meant. For them…” Hermione’s gestured to the girls still left spread throughout the room. Waiting anxiously for the evening to end and to be dismissed. …”us.”

As she continued to work though different aspects in her mind Draco’s mood seemed to grow lighter. He spun her under his arm and brought her in close to him, pressing her against his body.

“You look absolutely ravishing tonight, Granger.” His lips brushed against her ear sending shivers down her spine. His thumb circling lower and lower on her back. Her cheeks flamed at his intimate words and contact. “You realize not a single one of them has been able to keep their eyes off of you tonight?”

He guided her back out and brought her back to rest within his arms, the same smug look she seen so many times on his face at Hogwarts was there now for all to see.

“Of course, that’s what you’d be thinking about at a time like this...” she mumbled under her breath, annoyed. “Nonsensical schoolboy jealousies.”

“Ah, but not at all.” He dipped her low and nipped at her jawbone. “See I have the bell of the ball, the proverbial gem of the war, here in my house, in my arms, under my eye.”

Her eyes shot open at the ceiling.

What had he just said? But of course, if he was the owner, of course he knew who she was this entire time. Draco had been controlling her every move from the beginning.

This had never been a game, but a dance. A very intricate dance that he’d been leading her through blindly until this very moment when he chose to pull back the curtains.

Hermione had no idea how to feel and was having a terribly hard time assessing the meaning of each individual piece of information.

He brought her back up to glide across the floor once more, his eyes shining with excitement as he waited for her reaction.

“You’re collecting us?”

He cringed, “That just sounds creepy. I prefer the term temporarily rescue.”

“I don’t understand…”

“You see, I can’t save them. I can’t save any of you.“ He looked at her sadly, “ from your eventual fate. But I can provide as much safety within my bounds here at the Lounge.”

“But you sell us.” She eyed him skeptically. Who in the hell was he trying to fool?

“I have no choice.” He swallowed hard and his avoided eye contact with hers. “The only way to create any sort of haven type of establishment was to make a business, and currently the only reason I would have all of you women in my blasted hotel is if I were selling you. So yeah, when I have no other choice and I have done all I can they are sold.”

She gawked at him speechless, until one more fact he seemed to be purposely smoothing over reared its ugly head.

“You knew.”

It was all the accusation she needed. He had been the one who purchased her.

“Yes.” Again his steel gray eyes met her without flinching. His hand suddenly felt too hot on her back. The people around them reeked of alcohol and she couldn’t breathe.

“Why did you?”

Suddenly Draco began to look uncomfortable. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.

“Would you like to get some air?” he gestured toward one of the last remaining balconies

She allowed him to lead her away from the crowd and into to quiet dark space, lit with the sole use of fairy lights alone.

She had barely made it three steps out when he turned on her, his face was hard and serious. His eyes were angry.

“I did it because if I hadn’t done it when I did some other bloke was going to. Damn it, Granger I have declined so many patrons on your behalf throughout the years all because I knew you would never want one and I had hit my  
limit.”

She watched as he sat on the bench looking tired. “The rumor had come in that a senior death eater was coming in to bid on you. It was a test; I was going to have to sell you to him.”

She leaned against the railing for support as she took in more of his words.

“It was me Granger, or you were going to be “offered” tonight. I was worried even then that wouldn’t work. Which was why…”

“You demasked me.”

He didn’t have to he already knew who she was any every move he had made had been deliberate and calculated, moving to accommodate her mis steps.

This was not a crazed man before her.

When the next words left Hermione’s mouth, she never thought she would say them so confidently in her life, or at least the past two weeks.

“I will help you Draco. I will help you destroy whatever it is you are wanting to do.”

His eyes shot up to hers before he quickly shot to his feet and took the two strides needed to reach her.

“Do you mean it? It will most likely get us killed.” He paused and regathered his thoughts. “I mean to say, are you sure you are comfortable doing this with me?”

Hermione smirked and though he didn’t know why, batted her long eyelashes. She blamed it on the pink fuzzies later.

“Do you see anyone better out here offering?”

There were butterfly’s in her stomach as he leant down just a breadth away from her lips, before slowly capturing them both with his own. His hand cupped her face as Malfoy kissed her in a way that made her feel thing she had not felt since Ron. He leisurely teased her lips and explored her mouth, circling his tongue with her own.

“Do you want to come up to the suite with me? I mean it would be easier to talk and there’s more privacy…” there he was, she smiled to herself as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

“You’re asking me?” She grabbed two champagne flutes as a waiter passed by, thrusting one at Draco before downing hers herself, again.

He nodded and took a drink of his glass with an elegant smirk. His eyes danced with some unnamed emotion.

“Not taking me. This is my choice?” she was so taken aback by his sudden shift in demeanor. Hermione knew not to trust this as far as she could levitate it, but she also knew when he was offering a rare opportunity.

He wanted her to be a willing partner, and this was her first chance to prove that she could do so.

Everything up until this point had somehow been marred in violence. Twisted by his control over her. This was the first time she may get a different perspective and she needed to know what lay behind the many masks that were Draco Malfoy.

She grabbed his hand and backed him away from the dance floor, leading him away towards the elevators. Wide eyed, he followed her, allowing her to pull him along like her own plaything.

The role reversal was invigorating. She did not release his fingers as they waited for the lift to arrive, nor could she bring herself to look at him directly.

Draco stood beside her confidently and she could feel his gaze burning into her, causing her stomach to do strange things.

With the number of patrons who had arrived for the event the lift was packed. Hermione ended up squeezed into a back corner, the rise and fall of Draco’s chest pulsing through her back.

She could see their reflection in the lift doors, her golden mask, made perfectly to compliment her patrons’ silver one, stared back at her with dark hooded eyes. Most likely from the wizarding champagne.

She felt the gentle touch of fingertips graze the back of her thigh and stifled a startled gasp. She looked up to see his reflection staring intently back at her. There were a lot of people on this lift… and they had extremely far ways to go.

Hermione knew this was going to be a recipe for disaster.

His fingers toyed with the material at her thigh, slowly gathering it so most of her leg facing the corner was exposed. His hand glided past the fabric to stroke the bare skin of her leg, always stopping just at the hem of her panty line.

The lift doors opened, and a few guests got off, but even more replaced them. Hermione found herself pushed solidly into Draco’s chest as they continued their ride. The second her arse made contact with him he groaned, sending sparks straight through her core.

He gripped her thigh tighter and leaned in to breathe in the back of her neck.

“Granger, you were an absolute dream tonight.” The ghost of his lips across the nape of her neck she a trail of gooseflesh down her back and she shivered.

She wanted to see how far he would take this elevator display. Was there prior truce that fleeting. She knew it could be whatever he wanted it to be.

She panted against him, noting how his eyes were glued to the rise and fall of her chest.

He brushed his hand inward, caressing the inside of her thigh, again going no higher than the moment he felt his thumb graze her knickers.

Her breath caught, and she watched his grin from across the crowd of people standing in front of them.

By the time they made it to his floor, Hermione knew she was a riled-up mess. Draco had done nothing more than stroke her thigh on their way up the lift. Even that had felt exotic and intimate, she knew that was not appropriate behavior in front of others, but lately… some lines seemed to be getting blurred.

“I can’t believe we just did that!” She was giggled and exclaimed like a small school child when she stumbled into his entry. She noted the drinks have a milder effect than the house potion, but they still did some definite damage on their own.

“That? That was daring for you was it, Granger?” He cocked his head as he led her down the hallway. “You have danced on a stage surrounded by men nearly naked on a nightly basis, and that was what you found daring? Hell, even the last time with…” he trailed off realizing what he was going to say, but it was already too late.

Hermione’s cheeks were already flushed pink as she remembered vividly having Theo’s hands upon her as Draco urged on her orgasm… and then left her there alone.

“If it means anything to you, I’m sorry.” He plopped lazily down on the oversized leather white sectional.

“What do you mean, you’re sorry?” Hermione couldn’t believe what she was hearing come out of his mouth, if only she were able to hide her ire. She followed him over to the couch and took a seat near his legs.

“It was never meant to go that far.” He answered with that dark unreadable shadow crossing his eyes again.

Did Draco Malfoy actually suffer from guilt?

“But of course, you had to call my bluff, and then.” He sat up bringing his face dangerously close to hers. “That was one of the sexiest damned things I had ever seen. “

“I couldn’t have stopped once you started playing along had I even wanted too. And poor Theo, you should have seen the expression on his face. Either way you looked at him he was in some type of anguish.”

Nope. He definitely did not.

“But you… you were glorious.” He traced a finger along the side of her face as he leaned in closer, “I have been thinking of nothing else the entire week.”

“Then where have you been?” She questioned, she knew this was not quite normal, especially now that she knew who he was. How many times had he been here and simply never called for her?

“You can’t know everything, Granger… somethings are protected. Even from you by me and unbreakable.” She gasped, he wouldn’t!

“But I told you on day one, I am going to tear this world down, and I’m taking you with me.” He closed the distance between them bringing his mouth gently upon hers.

She moaned, he tasted faintly of champagne as he took his time to leisurely explore her mouth.

Hermione brought her hands up to comb through his platinum hair, gently tugging him closer.

She would take what she learned this evening and ensure that she would do everything in her power to stop that from happening.

She would dance, and wherever he wanted to lead she would follow. After all what other choice did she have.

He groaned into her mouth as she pushed him back down into the couch and straddled him.

“Granger do you know how many times I used to fantasize about moments like this?” Draco’s eyes hardened. “I’ll need to adjust the dose of veritaserum for the champagne events.”

She nipped his hear, ignoring his side commentary. “How many times?”

“More than I can count.” He gave her a pointed look, clearly unamused.

She began to loosen his tie. Watching him as he watched her.

“That’s reasonable.” Hermione goaded, “after all I have been in your strip club nearly naked for years now.”

Draco’s jaw clenched and she knew he was on the cusp of admitting something he did not want to.

She could give him a little reassurance.

As she pulled away is tie and began working on the buttons of his shirt she whispered in his ear, ensuring her lips made contact with his flesh.

“In sixth year, I thought about you when I was alone,” He let out a strangled cry, “never Ron.”

“Fuck Hermione…” He groaned again and she smiled into his neck, he knew she had told him the truth the drinks were ensuring to that. And loathe as she had been to admit it, sixth year Draco really had this brooding bad boy thing going on. All the girls had been talking about it. And after she’d overheard some of Pansy’s stories in herbology, well her imagination had run wild.

“Fourth year. The Yule ball, that night I realized there was more than just pure loathing as to why I could never take my eyes off you.”

Fourth year was so very, very long ago. She chuckled removing is shirt entirely before she stood before him. With one hand she undid the delicate tie in the back that had been preventing her dress from falling to the ground all evening.

She watched as he drank her in with is eyes. She was braless simply in a pair of dainty thongs, the shoes he’d given her for the evening, the snake choker, ear rings, and in a tiara…with her dress pooled around her ankles.

“What would you have charged for me?” She asks coquettishly as she approached him once more and allowed his hands to roam over her breasts.

“You were never for sale.” he was distracted with her as she climbed into his lap when his answer shot from his mouth. But he no longer cared what she knew about his past feelings toward her at this point.

But still this was major news to her. She wondered if Ginny was also on the do not sell list.

Draco’s mouth claimed hers once again as he replaced her back against her couch. Rather than physically remove his pants he just magicked them away with his wand. A wand Hermione would die to get her hands on.

Tonight, had been a night of many firsts and things she had yet to wrap her head around entirely, another one to add to the list had been the way Draco had worshiped her body that night.

While he had taken her countless times before, this had been the first time that he’d allowed her to give herself to him by choice.

“Draco?” she asked as she lay there tangled in his limbs after coming down from yet another mind blowing orgasm.

“What is it Granger?” he rolled over on his back placing his hands behind his head. Hermione could trace each line of his muscle and even dared enough to reach out with her fingertip to do so.

Draco merely opened one eye to give her an appraising peek.

There had been one part of this Hermione just could not make sense of in her head.

“What made you want to try to help us all anyway? And why try to change it all now?” She turned to her side propped up on her elbow to look at him.

His face was strained as he still appeared to be trying to be fighting the lingering effects of the veritaserum likeness.

He sighed and gave up trying to fight, smiled and shrugged.

“Sugar quills.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys thanks for being patient with me. My muse took me elsewhere. But let me assure you that I hop back here fairly frequently. And hey reviews are always appreciated, they’re like Scooby Snacks 😉


	4. Certain Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certain Things  
> There's something about you  
> It's when you get angry  
> You have me at your mercy  
> And you're like a shoulder to turn to  
> Cause certain things burn  
> Just when we're hanging on for dear life  
> We held on so tight  
> And you keep coming back, coming back again  
> Keep running round, running round, running round my head  
> And there's certain things that I adore  
> And there's certain things that I ignore  
> But I'm certain that I'm yours  
> Certain that I'm yours  
> Certain that I'm yours  
> ………………………………  
> I adore you... I adore you...  
> Let's ignore them... Let's ignore them – James Arthur

Hermione’s head was pounding. She couldn’t remember the last time she woke up with a hangover this bad.

She groaned and sighed into her pillow. 

Mmm… bergamot, sandalwood and mint. 

Her eyes shot open. She knew that smell, by this point she knew it very well. It was then that she felt the warmth of another body sprawled out beside her on a bed that was definitely not hers.

She tried not to move; she really did not want to wake him. The only problem wash she really had to use the bathroom. She must have squirmed a little in discomfort.

She heard the man behind her let out a big sigh. 

“Quit pretending to be asleep Granger and go already…” he gestured lazily toward the bathroom, still lying face down and unmoving.

Must have been a rough night for both of them.

She slid out of the bed dragging the bed sheet with her, wrapped around her like a toga.

You know for modesty’s sake.

She heard Draco chuckle behind her.

It wasn’t until she saw her reflection the mirror and all the evidence left on her from the night before, that the event of the previous evening came crashing down on her. Angelina’s face, tear streaked and screaming slamming   
right to the forefront. 

Hermione buckled in on herself and fell to her knees, cracking them hard against the tile. 

An onslaught of more memories, more girls, of Draco…. 

He owned the Lounge.

Hands and knees on the ground… she screamed. Mental anguish, anger, and exhaustion came rushing out her as she screamed from her very soul at the unfairness of it all. 

The mirror cracked and the lights flickered above her.

Draco came rushing in the door wand at the ready. He paused in the entryway for just a second, assessing, before he came down to his knees beside her. Wrapping her up in his arms.

Hermione kicked and screamed more. His strong, well defined arms wrapped around her tighter preventing her from escaping. He had her effectively trapped against him, wrapped in a sheet while he carried her thrashing back to the bedroom. He sat down on the couch by the bed, still refusing to let her go.

“Shh..” he whispered into the top of her head, “Let it out Granger.”

She had a million questions swimming in her mind. So many things the needed to ask him that she was incapable of putting into words. 

So much had changed. So much had changed so fast.

As her memories of the night became clearer, she gradually steeled in Draco’s arms. She was safe here, or she thought as much anyway.

She lost count of how long she lay there across his chest, just staring off into oblivion. She did not want to face the day. 

How could she go on living this place knowing the definitive future of her fate here?

“I think it’s time we finally talked.” Her voice came out scratchy and worn from all the strain she’d put on her vocal cords.

Draco sighed. “Not exactly how I wanted to spend my morning, but I suppose.”

Placing her back on her own feet again he stood. “Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen when you’re ready.”

He left her alone in the room and Hermione just stood there, still trying to get her mind to wrap around everything. She was still going through different moments in her head, putting the jumble all back in order when she was startled by a loud POP.

“Hello Miss. Master asks Pod to deliver Miss some clothes.” A tiny house elf bowed before her. He was far younger than any she had ever seen before. He was holding out a stack of clothes for her to take.

She took the articles out of his awaiting hands gingerly.

“Hello Pod, I’m Hermione.” She looked down at him curiously, he was not a baby, but if she were to put him in human standards, he was definitely a child, likely no more than ten. “How long have you been with your master Pod?”

“Master just brought Pod here. I has been here for almost a whole year now Miss.” The little elf looked proud of his announcement. 

“That’s very nice, Pod.” She leaned down to smile at him sweetly. “Where are your parents Pod?”

The little elf let out a small squeak and popped away instantly.

She met Malfoy in the kitchen a few minutes later, having been pleasantly surprised to find that he’d presented her with a luxuriously soft pair of lounge pants and a tank top. Adding even more to her confusion was the sight of 

Draco Malfoy in his own kitchen preparing breakfast for two. 

She took a seat on one of the barstools on the kitchen island.

“I didn’t know you cooked.”

“Well add that one to the list then Granger.” He replied as he cracked eggs into a bowl.

“What list?” she asked quizzically.

“Of the things you do not know about me.” He replied stonily. “I left you a pepper up potion.”

“Fair enough…” Hermione picked up the offered potion and drank it down without hesitation. She was going to need an exceedingly clear mind for this conversation. 

Draco sat two plates of eggs and toast down in front of her, turned to put two glasses of orange juice and took the seat directly next to her. Hermione bristled at the way he casually let his leg make direct contact with hers and   
she scooted away just an inch.

He smirked and took a bite of eggs from his plate. Meanwhile, Hermione just sat there and stared at her food. She knew she was hungry, but she couldn’t possibly eat at a time like this.

Draco was halfway though his meal, when he let out a sight into the air that instantly cut through the heavy silence around them.

“You have to eat.” He pointed his fork at her plate flippantly. “I’ll make a deal with you: you take a bite and I tell you what you want to know.”

Hermione looked at him and then back at her plate. She picked up her fork and took a small bite of egg.

“Wise choice. I would have just Imperiused you otherwise.” He shrugged and took a sip of his orange juice.

Hermione looked at him in horror. Knowing better than to ever question what came out of his mouth.

“Well, where shall I begin? Back in sixth year I was recruited into the ranks of the death eaters as punishment for my father’s failures. Which meant I too was too regularly punished, as was my mother. Also,” he chuckled, “I was often given impossible tasks intended to kill me. It was a very dark time in my life.”

Hermione knew much of this already and nodded. 

“Drink?” Draco asked as he conjured up his usual glass of fire whisky. She’d have to ask him where he kept his magical stores at.

She shook her head, not wanting to miss anything that he was going to say.

He quirked his mouth up in a grimace. “Let me know when you change your mind.”

She highly doubted she would but nodded her agreement anyway, anxious for him to get on with it. Then she realized she had not taken another bite of food and he was stalling. This time she took a big chunk out of her toast and chewed it at him mockingly.

“Cute.” He rolled his eyes, “That year I watched my father turn into a wretched shadow of himself trying to please a man who would throw him away the moment it suited him. It was disgusting.” Draco sneered.

“Any way that also incidentally was the year that I decided I hated Voldemort, the death eaters, and pretty much everything they stood for. Their entire mission seemed like a complete waste of time and quite honestly, I was rooting for Potter right up until the end. Really needed him to pull that win off really.”

A lump grew in her throat at the mention of Harry’s demise and she tried to distract herself by taking another bite from her plate. She could feel Malfoy watching her out of the side of his eye, gauging her reaction to the information he was giving her. He had not even begun to scratch the surface and he needed to be sure he didn’t give her too much before she was ready.

“Well unfortunately he did not, but not for his lack of trying. Which is more than I can say for some people.” She eyed him unfavorably.

Again, he shrugged, deciding her little outburst as unimportant in the moment. 

“Unfortunate indeed, because now not only am I stuck here running a brothel for death eaters that I hate, you’re also now stuck here with me with them.” He leaned toward her on one elbow. “So here is the thing, I know you won’t believe me, but I never wanted for any of this to happen. Do I know what my ideal outcome would have been? Not at all, but honestly I’d rather suffer in Azkaban than deal with the politics of the dark arts.”

“That is why you would destroy it all? Because it annoys you that the side you picked won?” Hermione questioned him slowly…delicately. 

“I did not pick a side, thank you very much. I was blessedly ignorant almost right up until this lovely brand got burned onto my arm. Sure I may have said plenty of foul bigoted things, but my side was chosen for me by my spineless wretch of a father the moment he handed me over to the Dark Lord.”

“Oh,” that she had not known. She always thought Malfoy had been proud to be a death eater, always showing his dark mark off to anyone who would pay attention in the Slytherin common area. He held a look of discontentment as she studied him. Trying to see him for this person he claimed to be.

If what he was saying was true, then that would mean he had been nothing more than a boy when the choice to become a death eater had been forced upon him. 

She did not know how to pity Draco Malfoy.

“Don’t give me that look Granger. It was my side that won after all.” He gave her a pointed stare with his piercing gray eyes. “If anyone is in a position currently warrantying pity it is you.”

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but he continued without pause.

“Which is exactly what we are trying to fix.”

He gestured at her plate and she took another bite.

“So, what exactly is your plan here Malfoy? How do we defeat old Voldemort?”

“That’s the thing Granger. We don’t.” He replied with a smug smile.

“Malfoy if you don’t want to kill him then what’s the point in all of this?” she gestured around dramatically at his theatrics. She let out a sight of frustration, this man was the biggest headache on earth.

“To fix everything.”

It was the way he placed extra emphasis on everything that got Hermione’s attention. She studied his him trying to decipher his meaning.

“You want to undo it all…”

“This world is fucked as it is. Simply killing Voldemort would hardly put a dent into fixing things. The Death eaters have too much power now, with or without him. No, in order for that to make some kind of impact we would literally have to get all of them together in one place and kill them all together. Even then A, there is no single group strong enough or willing enough to stand against them, or B, that would be nearly impossible to pull off undetected before dying ourselves.”

Hermione listened wide-eyed as he dove headfirst into his plans to dismantle the world right there at the breakfast bar.

“So, what then… are you proposing?” She asked hesitantly.

Draco leaned forward, excitement written all over his face. 

“I want to go back and stop this all from happing to begin with.”

“Time? You want to go back in time?” 

Hermione was now pacing in the living room, as she was often prone to do when flustered by a problem. Draco leaned back in his seat against the counter watching her, eyes alight with amusement. He had never been on this side of working with the Brightest Witch of Their Age, so far, he found it highly frustrating and entertaining at the same time.

“You do realize that going back that far in time is impossible right?” She looked at him incredulously.

Draco shrugged. “Seems like a magical problem to be fixed.”

Hermione guffawed. She could not believe that had just come out of his mouth. 

Would he have any idea of the amount of work or time that would have to go into something like that? Throughout history witches and wizards have attempted time travel and none to success. What makes him think that they could. 

This seemed to anger Draco as he suddenly stood up from his place on the couch and stalked towards her.

“Do you have a better idea?” His voice was menacingly low.

“Well, no. But…” Hermione’s throat cracked under his icy gaze.

“Can you think of any better time than now to figure this shite out?” He gestured aggressively around them.

Almost just as quickly Hermione watched as the fight appeared to drain out of him before her eyes. Again, he wore the tired expression that he wore the night before at the gala, the one she could now recognize for the loathing of his life.

“Come on.” He started down the hallway and gestured for her to follow him. “I want to show you something.”

There was a spot on the hallway wall where he waved his wand over the empty space lifting the glamour charm that hid the door beneath it. Once he led her inside Hermione let out a gasp. Surrounding her, floor to ceiling were books, in every nook and cranny were scrolls and notes. 

As she wandered around the room investigating, she took in the maps and charts of equations around the walls. This was his own personal study, but it had been extended so much that it was more a library than much else. 

“This is everything I have been able to collect on the topic of time travel throughout wizarding history.” Draco followed her in, hands stuffed into his pockets. 

“How long?”

She watched as he ran a hand through his blonde locks, “I’ve been collecting since shortly after the beginning. Maybe roughly six months into my marriage with Astoria.”

Hermione started at a loss for words. 

That was years! he had been collecting for almost four years now anything he could get his hand on with information that pertained to time and any relation to travel. 

Hermione looked at Malfoy, really looked at him. He was brilliant, she knew that, second only to her in her year. If he had devoted this much time and energy to this research, more like obsession, of his then there had to be some probable cause as to why. She could see it in everything he exuded, he needed her to follow him on this. She was his last hope. But why was this his chosen path?

She nodded in understanding. She walked over to the nearest chair and made herself comfortable in its cushiony depths. 

“Tell me everything.”

They spoke into the evening. Draco had enthusiastically delivered every detail. The way he believed he caught a time traveler once, but he was lost to him before he could answer any of his questions. That had been what set him off on this rabbit hole of his, and it just so happened doing so aligned with his death eater responsibilities enough that it drove him up the ranks. He had not stopped since and had no intentions on stopping until he’d set out to accomplish what he wanted to do.

They would have forgotten to eat at all had Pod not demanded they allow him to bring them food into the study. He also brought a bottle of very nice wine.

They sat relaxed on opposite ends of a love seat in front of the studies fireplace.

“So, say we can track down whatever magical device it was that allowed that man to travel back in time, or figure out his method. How far back do you go?”

Draco sighed and rested a hand on her ankle, she wasn’t sure when her legs had made their way into his space of the couch.

“At first, I used to think I would go all the back and stop him from being born, or maybe kill him at the orphanage. But then I realized I might change things I did not want to change at all.”

Hermione nodded her understanding. All theories of time travel warned heavily of the effects of tampering and the dangers it can pose to the current time zone as a potential future. 

“So what?” He seemed to ask her, “Do we go back and save Potter’s parents? Do we go back to fourth year?”

“There are so many points that could trigger the desired effect and undesired ones at the same time.” She murmured half to herself.

“Precisely.”

“So…” Hermione answered slowly, “you find the closest most integral turning point possible. The one you know will change the shortest amount of time, thus making the least amount of changes but still giving the desired result and reducing your chances of unwanted side effects.” 

Draco tipped his glass to her, commending her assertations. 

“So not only do we have to find out how to go back, but we also have to narrow down a perfect moment.”

“Both of which I have several leads and theories for.” He supplicated smoothly. His confidence across the sofa had only grown as he’d told her of as much of his learnings as he could, and Hermione could not deny the growing sense of hope that his plan may actually hold some weight to it.

She would have to double check his research of course, and then perform her own. But the possibilities were definitely there.

Hermione was sure the evening would end up with her being drug back into his bed somehow, so imagine her surprise when Draco escorted her to her own bed and bath suite shortly after they’d polished off their shared bottle of   
wine.

With little more than a goodnight she watched in astonishment as he turned and made his way down the hall, to the room she had had to occupy every night before. She did not go into her room until she watched him disappear into his without even him even looking back at her once. 

Her room was just as nice as his, almost. There was a king four poster canopy bed in the center, outfitted in a plush violet duvet. She noted that the room, while being far more lavishly decorated in a way than she would ever consider doing herself, had been entirely outfitted for her. He had not just deposited her in a set of guest rooms. Even the drawers and closets were full of clothes just her size. 

She decided there was extraordinarily little to this that surprised her when it came to him and his antics as she crawled into the plush bed. She would just thank him for it in the morning. 

But as she lay there in the extreme comfort of her new bed sleep refused to come. Instead she chased around bits and pieces of information Malfoy had shared throughout the day, mentally organizing which pieces she wanted to investigate first, and when that was done she was haunted with images of screaming girls being hauled from the dining room as she sat there immobilized, unable to do anything. Only now she knew Draco had also been just as powerless as well. 

When another sleepless hour passed Hermione did not know why she found her feet silently padding down the hall towards the bedroom at the end. When she slowly pushed the door open and closed it behind her she stopped with her back pressed against the back of the door.

The moonlight had shone throughout the room just enough for her to see clearly. Malfoy had not stirred from his pile under the sheets on the bed across the room. She studied him as she slowly shuffled her way towards the bed.

At some point throughout the day Malfoy had shifted. At some point she had been able to understand more about his way of thinking than she would have ever thought possible, and while his methods may have been a bit extreme, she couldn’t say he was coming from a bad place per se. 

She looked down on his perfectly sculpted face and perfect lips that for once held no lines of tension. He truly was quite gorgeous, if Hermione had to admit it to herself, she had always thought so. But Draco as a man was something else entirely to behold than the Draco that she remembered from the halls at Hogwarts. This Draco was all hard lines, his body perfectly sculpted, she could see each exposed indention clearly in the moonlight. This 

Draco was also war decorated and battle scarred, each mark on him telling a different story. Hermione found that this only seemed to add to his allure. He wore his hair different now, shorter, a more mature look to go with a more mature him. 

Hermione bit her lip, debating on turning back the way she had come. But that thought alone filled her with dread, being all by herself again with her own horrible thoughts to keep her company until dawn. 

Her mind made up she shuffled around the bed and climbed in under the sheets and curled up next to Draco’s warm body.

At some point throughout the day Draco had begun to represent more than another death eater. Today, Draco began to represent a small sliver of hope, a piece of hope Hermione did not realize she had needed until he had given it to her.

She felt the tears begin to run down her face as she lay there with the dawning realization that somehow Draco Malfoy had become her last safe place. That everyone else had let her down: Dumbledore, the Order, even Harry… 

She tried to keep her body from quaking as she stifled her sobs, but it was a matter of seconds when she felt Draco shifting. He simply wrapped himself around her like a large protective cocoon and held her until she cried herself to sleep in his arms. 

The next day they did not talk about the night before, just like they had not spoken about so many other past transgressions, but Hermione could feel the tension in the environment around them. She spent the entire day feeling like she was walking on a tight rope. Not only was she having to deal with the constant inner battle with herself trying to decide if she was coming down with Stockholm syndrome, but then there was this entire new field with   
Draco to navigate. The who they were behind the masks. 

Ginny and the others would never understand.

“Now, tell me everything you remember about this time traveler you believe you captured.” She was sitting at a table in his study going over his notes, starting from the beginning. 

“Its all right there written down.” He waved his hand dismissively at his notes. He’d been pacing before her while reading a book of his own searching for something in particular. He was currently on his fifth book to no avail. 

“Yes, and as impeccable as these may be, you never know what reliving it for someone may do for you.” She looked back down and pointed at a particular section of notes, “for instance, here it simply says his name was M. Smith. What was the M?”

Draco stopped walking then and really looked at her then, for one of the few times she could remember that day and they were already well into the afternoon. And just like every time before she felt her nerves go on edge under his gaze. 

“Matthew Smith. His name was Matt Smith. I stumbled across him on a mission gone awry, there was some unknown external interference. Somehow this… would be muggle Mr. Smith, had claimed to have gotten his hands on a time travel machine. Slippery bugger he was…” Draco smirked in memory, “I know I had him completely secured and yet when I returned to his holding cell he had simply… vanished.”  
Hermione looked back at him perplexed. 

“And you are sure he was a muggle?”

“Absolutely. He never had a wand, just a tiny little muggle tool he used to fix everything. A screwdriver I think it was.”

“That would mean he could still be out there.”

“Most definitely. The question is when.” Draco responded confidently. “If we could find him again that would be the easiest fix, but he doesn’t seem the be the type to be caught twice.”

“Huh.” Hermione stood and stretched with her hands over her back. She noted the way Draco’s eyes lingered on the little bit of exposed skin where her shirt rode up on her waist and felt the heat creep into her skin.

He only stared at her for a moment long enough to make it uncomfortable before he cleared his throat. 

“What do you say we get out of here at take a break? I think we have both been in here too long.”

“What do you have in mind?” She asked him skeptically.

He simply motioned for her to follow with a jerk of his chin and led her out of the room. 

It was later than she had realized, the sun already beginning its descent on the skyline. 

“Hey Pod?” Draco called out as they walked through the suite. 

POP.

“Yes, Master Draco Sirs?” Poderick bowed so low the tips of his ears brushed the floor.

“Oh! Come off it!”

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Enough of the theatrics Pod. I assume he’s been this way with you the entire time?” he turned back to ask her while pointing a finger at the still bowing tiny elf.

“Well… yes.” 

“Poddd…” Draco sounded exasperated. 

Hermione nearly jumped at the sound of a tingly little giggle that sounded like bells jingling coming from the elf’s direction. 

“Pod is sorry master. Pod is just trying to have a bit of fun with the Miss.” 

“I told him about how you fought for house elf rights back at school.” Draco turned back to her to explain the elf’s behavior. 

Hermione did not quite see why this mattered considering how the little elf had acted completely like every other enslaved house elf she’d ever met. That was until she looked over Draco’s shoulder to see Poderic hovering a bowl   
of water over his master’s head while motioning for her to keep quiet with one finger on his lips. 

Oh. 

So, this was not a normal house elf and master situation.

Hermione realized how much so as soon as the water was released, and Pod went squealing through the room with glee and Draco sputtered and gasped for air but did nothing to punish the elf. 

“Lucky for you, I was going to ask for you to request that we take dinner on the balcony this evening. So this,” Draco took off his soaking wet shirt and threw it towards the elf who squealed again and darted away, “didn’t even matter.”

Hermione found herself watching in complete amusement with her hands covering her mouth to suppress her laughter. 

“Was still fun, master.” Pod poked his head out from behind Hermione’s legs, using her as a shield.

“That’s low even for you Pod. Using a woman as a shield.” Draco winked at her and she giggled. 

Giggled! Who was she? 

Pod stuck out his tongue at Draco one last time before disappearing with another loud POP.

“Come on. Sorry about that, Pod can get a tad out of hand sometimes, but it’s all in good fun.” He took her trough a sliding section of glass that opened to a massive balcony overlooking the top of both the other Lounge buildings. He began instantly heading in the direction of the pool.

“Wait just a minute.”

“Come on Granger. Live just a little, I mean really what else do we have to lose?” He sat down on a lounge chair and began to remove his socks.  
Live a little. 

Her entire life she had been told to live a little. Now she was a mistress prostitute stripper for Merlin’s sake, and she was still being told to live a little. 

She would be damned if she was going to be told that now.

She took off at a swift jog and leapt into the pool, engulfing herself entirely in perfectly tempered water.

Of course, it was heated.

She came up gasping for air, a smile on her face. Maybe living a little had something to it. 

The platinum headed wizard was kneeling by the edge of the pool when she surfaced, a smirk on his face.

“That’s one way to take a challenge Granger.” 

Not to be outdone, he stood and languidly dove in after her, instantly swimming several yards away before coming up for air. They eyed each other from across the pool, her fully clothed in the water and him down to his shorts. 

A certain blonde eyebrow was raised in her direction, however, she found treading water to be difficult with her pants on, so rather than drown, she removed them and threw them over the ledge. 

They swam in peace for a while at first. Hermione enjoyed the peace and silence that can often be found when floating on ones back in the water with your ears submerged. And when she was able to do so while looking at the fading evening sky, she was almost able to forget. Almost like the weight of everything she had to do was lifted off her.

That was until a small splash of water landed just below her eye and disturbed her peace. Turning her head, she found that Draco had drifted closer, not to disturb her, but he was looking at her expectantly waiting on her to notice him.

“Yes?” She placed her toes on the bottom of the pool to turn to him. 

He gestured his head over toward a set of tables. “Dinner has just arrived.”

Looking over, sure enough Hermione found an entire dinner spread laid out on a large balcony table, waiting for them. Also, it was accompanied by the same wine as the night before. 

She idly wondered if that was Poderick’s doing?

“Hey, Malfoy? Can I ask you a question?” She asked turning back to him and looking away from the well-prepared feast.

“We both know you are going to do it anyway…”

“Where are Pod’s parents?” She jumped right in. “It’s just that I have never seen a working house elf so young. To be honest I have never seen a young house elf really, so it made me wonder what happened to his family.”

Hermione watched as Draco sighed and rubbed a hand across his brow. The look on his face told her he’d been expecting this question from her.

“Pod’s parents were both lost in the war.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes when he said that. “But I knew they had Poderick, they had been Malfoy family house elves for generations.”

Hermione nodded in understanding, just assuming he had been inherited.

“I hid him.” Draco’s voice cracked and he cleared it. “I hid him in my room until I was able to sneak him out to Theo’s family’s manor. I came back and got him once I got my own place and the war was over. He has been my charge ever since.”

Draco Malfoy had saved a house elf.

Hermione would not have been able to believe it unless she had heard it and witnessed it with her own two eyes the way she had. Putting their behavior together now made more sense. He was almost an older brother to the young orphan, and the closest thing to family he had it seemed. 

“Oh, I hadn’t realized…”

After a shake of his head he added, “Why would you? I’m Draco Malfoy, Granger.”

Rippling muscles caught her eye as he rolled his shoulders out and lifted his arms in a stretch.

Yes. Yes, he was. He was Draco Malfoy. And what she really wanted to do was swim over and run her hands over his pectorals and biceps, maybe even taste the bead of water that was running down his chest.

No… again with her thoughts. It was honestly like she was incapable of being around the man while he was shirtless.

She bit her lip… and without pants on.

Honestly, he was a walking poster boy for birth control. 

“Hermione?”

“What?” Apparently, he’d been speaking to her and she had not been listening. That had happened several times today, she had just played them off as study exhaustion.

“Dinner?” He asked with a chuckle, he knew exactly where her mind had been.

The smirk that crossed her face was intentional. As was the fake pout that followed it. 

Draco’s eyes followed her as she swam nearer to him.

“I’m not ready to get out yet…” she looked up at him with her big amber eyes, “stay in with me?”

As she continued to close the distance between them his eyes travelled over to where the food was set out longingly.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she brought her lips to his ear, “Too bad.” 

Without warning she reached out and cupped an armful of water and splashed it at him, laughing as he sputtered.

Hermione playfully kicked away, and Draco easily reached out and caught her by an ankle, lazily pulling her back to him. Only when she made it to him, he did not release her. His burning touch remained holding her leg. 

He examined her reaction to their proximity or lack thereof, before he slowly released each finger one by one. He met her eyes with a hungry gaze, locking her in place. 

Slowly he began a light trek up her calf…. around her knee…. Over her thigh.

Hermione’s breath came out faster the higher he went. 

Gray eyes lazily drifted back and forth between watching her reactions to his caresses and marveling at the look of his hand on her body himself. 

Hermione rolled her hips into his touch, eliciting a pleased groan from the wizard. 

He reached around and grabbed her ass and brought her body fully against him and she automatically brought her arms up to circle around his neck before bringing her lips in to taste his. 

They both moaned at the contact and intensified the kiss as Hermione drug her hands through Draco’s hair. She tugged and pulled at his hair, guiding his head as she took her time thoroughly exploring and tasting his lips and mouth. This was the kiss they had danced around all day. She had watched him watching her. She had stared at his lips countless times throughout the day. Now she would claim them.

Draco met her back with a fervent passion. It was clear that he had felt the strain surrounding them all day as well. But this time, the way he kissed her, it was not the same as before. Before always seemed harsh, punishing or mocking even… this, this was anything but.

For either of them.

It was fire and rage.

It was ice and pain.

But it was also longing and hope, and that scared Hermione. The need she felt in this kiss when she had never felt that before.

It was terrifying.

Draco wrapped her legs around his waist, and he backed to the ledge, carrying her with him so she could straddle his lap. 

She pulled him back by his hair to stare him in the eyes. His pupils were dilated, but the silver was magnetic, full of lust and something more. 

Releasing his hair Hermione pulled her top off over her head and Draco’s eyes grew wide. To Hermione’s amusement they grew even larger when next she made quick work of her bra.

For a moment she held him speechless as she reached out and guided both of his hands to cup her breasts. She let out a moan as one of his thumbs brushed across her nipple. 

“Merlin, Granger, you really are a vision.” He murmured in awe right before he took her other sensitive bud into his mouth. Hermione arched her back pressing her chest into his face and her hips into his lap, where she could feel the clear evidence of his arousal. 

She groaned at the feel of him and let one of her hands wander… down, beneath the water, eliciting a sharp intake of air from Draco as she brushed her hand against his cock through his shorts. 

She rolled her hips into him again and this time he thrust up to meet her.

Oh. Sweet Merlin. 

She brought his mouth back to hers. 

She needed him. Needed this. 

But how was she possibly ever going to explain this to Ginny? 

His hands burned wherever they touched her, and she couldn’t get enough. He gently tugged her hair, groped her ass, breasts, stroked her back, his touch was everywhere. 

To put it quite simply she couldn’t, but that really did not matter right this second. 

This time Hermione let herself take her time as she trailed down his body. She stroked the hard planes and ridges of his abs and toyed with the little patch of hair right below his naval before she finally stroked him over his clothes again. He jerked to meet her hand eager for her touch. 

He hissed.

She did it again. This time wrapping her hand around him and stroking through his shorts some more, being sure she payed special attention to the head, especially the spot right on the underside that Draco really seemed to like.   
“Hermione… If you don’t stop, I won’t be able to.” He looked at her panting, pleading with her to understand.

And she did perfectly well, which was why her fingers found their way into the waistband of his shorts and she pulled him free. She stroked him in a smooth and controlled rhythm while meeting his eyes the entire time in a silent challenge or offering really if she were going to be completely honest with herself.

She felt his fingers dig into her hips as his breath rate increased. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as he allowed her to continue to stroke him under the water. 

The more he held her gaze the more Hermione realized how incredibly turned on she was getting. She squirmed on his lap uncomfortably. 

A small smile graced Draco’s face right before he slowly started leading her hips in a back and forth motion against him, matching her rhythm. 

Her own breathing picked up to meet his and she didn’t know how much longer she could stand this torture. 

On one particular stroke he brought her down directly against him so that she finally made contact with his erection where she most wanted it. She let out a mewl and lost her last bit of control.

Letting go of his erection she grabbed his face bringing her mouth desperately to his. 

“Malfoy,” she murmured between kisses, “I need you.”

She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as in one fluid motion Draco stood and began walking them out of the pool. He carried her like she weighed nothing, continuing to thoroughly snog her the entire way to where he was taking her. 

She felt a soft cushion on her back and realized that he had laid them on an oversized pool lounger. 

Draco had vanished her remaining clothes and she could feel the hot touch of his hard member pressing against her core.

Everyone could see them here, out in the open, well… if anyone was above them. 

A thrill of excitement shot right between Hermione’s legs.

She groaned arched into him as he caressed her body with his large slender hands. He gripped her hip and pulled her to him while guiding himself into her at the same time.

They held each other’s gaze as he entered her slowly, filling her inch by slow, delicious inch. 

“Open those eyes Hermione,” he commanded when her eyes fluttered shut of their own accord. “I want you to watch as I take you tonight.”

Stroking his hand up her body he brought his hand up to gently squeeze around her neck and she moaned, her body clenching around him. 

“Don’t think I can’t see this Hermione.” The look he gave her sent a jolt straight to her soul. 

He tilted her chin back with his forefinger and thumb and brought his lips down to just brush over hers. His warm breath ghosted across her face. He partially withdrew before he thrust back in. 

She moaned. 

“You’re mine.”

The words ghosted across her lips along with his warm breath. Whether the chills that ran down her back were from pleasure or apprehension she couldn’t tell, but Draco could feel her body’s reactions to his words non the less.

Was that what this meant? Was that truly any different than before?

He went to hook her leg around his hip and Hermione decided she had a better idea. Utilizing his current momentum, she flipped him on his back so that she straddled him. 

This time it was her turn to smirk when he looked up at her with wide eyes. 

Mimicking the way he had done to her earlier she leaned forward and brushed her lips over his, “Who’s whose, Draco?” she asked as she slowly impaled herself back on his shaft. 

She moaned against his mouth and Draco reached around to tangle his fingers in the hair at the back of her head. He pulled her down hard against him, kissing her like his life depended on it, and for all Hermione knew it did.   
Maybe that’s what this entire thing was, maybe she was just latching on to the nearest familiar thing for comfort. 

And the moment he showed her five seconds of kindness she purred in his lap like a kitten…

Much like she was almost purring now as Draco met her thrust for thrust as she slowly rode him.

One of his hands was trailing down her spine and the other was on her hips guiding her as she moved.

She sat up straight, scraping her nails against his chest on her way. They gasped in unison as the change in position only deepened his angle. Draco thrust his hips up once, causing her to throw her head back in pleasure, before allowing her to resume control. 

“Fuck…” his eyes glazed over as he watched her raise herself on her knees, almost lifting off his cock, before swiveling her hips down again and again.   
Hands grasped at her hips, urging her faster, grinding her clit down hard against him every time. Jolt after jolt of pleasure shot through her body at each thrust. 

“Mmm…Draco.” She was close, so very close. 

At the sound of his name leaving her lips for the first time that night Draco sat up to meet her, devouring her lips with his. One of his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her in close for every thrust, and the other hand cupped the back of her neck ensuring her mouth was unable to escape his. 

Draco poured everything into his kiss, his thrusts as he made love to her there under the stars. She found herself clinging to him tighter meeting him with a greater desperation.   
She realized it didn’t matter what this was or what she was feeling.

He was what she wanted.

Magic pooled in her core and her eyes shot open, heated gray ones met hers expectantly. Panicked, Hermione instinctively tried to pull away from the kiss, but the hand Draco had wrapped around her neck prevented her from going anywhere. He deepened their kiss in her moment of surprise and quickened their pace, they were both hurtling towards the edge, and the magic pooling in her core began to swirl and mix with his own essence.

She moaned into him, giving in, craving more of both of what he was offering. The magic coursing through her only heightened everything, so much so that she could have sworn she was feeling what Draco was feeling too.

Experimentally she raked her nails down his back and arched into him when that sensation was mirrored in her own body. She gasped and he groaned, quickening more as every sensation between them came crashing together.

It was all too much. The magic building inside her imploded right as she came around him, screaming his name. Draco buried himself deep inside her, spilling over, her orgasm milking his out with her. He bit into her shoulder to stop the guttural roar that almost escaped him. 

They sat there, leaning on each other for support while the magic had sparked in the air around them. 

She could still feel it. The magic.

It was still there inside her. But how was that possible. 

He tightened his arms around her, and it was then that she realized she was trembling.

“What did you do?” she asked in a whisper.

“You gave something to me, so I gave something to you.” He ran his hand softly over her hair and down her back, resting at the base. “I used my magic to boost yours, it is only temporary of course.”

“Of course…” she murmured back almost dazed. 

How?

“But” he flexed his hips into her and she felt him flex where they were still connected. “This can always be done again when the effects wear away.”

And how was he able to talk about something so impactful to her like it was no big deal! 

Her irritation began to flare.

And how dare he invade her magical core without telling her first. I mean truly she should know not to expect more, and she was extremely grateful, and knew he meant well…. But still. 

She was so tired of the emotional whiplash she got from trying to deal with the rollercoaster ride that was Draco Malfoy. She felt like she was always coming up with some sort of excuse for him.

“What I do need to know though, is if you are proficient enough with wandless magic until I am able to get my hands on an untraceable wand?”

Wait, what?

“Until you get me a what?” she leaned back to look at him, sure she was going to see the manic Draco again.

“Hermione,” his hand came up to gently cup her cheek. “If we are going to do this, I need you to be fully capable to perform whatever task you need to.”

The Draco she saw was still the same one she had been with for the last two days, the one she had given herself to just moments before, and he was serious. He was going to get her a wand.

“Plus,” he leaned forward speaking against her forehead, “I need to know you can keep yourself safe.”

Hermione’s heart clenched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***A/N: Hey so I know a week isn’t a terribly long time, but I literally had to pull this chapter out, so I apologize to anyone who was waiting. There was just something off a few times, but I think we have that figured out now 😉 I’m so glad you’re still with me! And if you’re new thank you for joining and I hope you like it enough to stay for the ride. 
> 
> P.s. Will work for comments. Oh and who found the Easter egg?


	5. Savage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie  
> a/n: soo warning… this is like 80% dirty lemony deliciousness. If you want to skip it, you won’t miss much as far as the plot goes…. But **cough cough** the actor Theo James is my Theo Nott, this absolutely MUST be acknowledged for this chapter. Now if you choose to continue reading, enjoy 😊 p.s. if you want to read but skip the lemons just read until the second scene is over. Unfortunately/ Thank heavens for Theo James and all the Eye candy Malfoys out there who made this chapter possible…. Its all lemons from there!!!!!
> 
> Savage  
> I am the sun  
> You know you need me  
> And you might get burned  
> If you take too much  
> Don't get addicted 'cause  
> I'm gonna fade you like that rush  
> Is that blood on me or blush? So what
> 
> You know I'm not a saint  
> But I can make you pray  
> So get down on your knees  
> Give me a reason I should stay  
> Trapped inside this madness  
> I know you wanna have this  
> So I can take advantage
> 
> Savage
> 
> When you touch me, you take me to Heaven  
> When you hold me, my body's a weapon  
> If you think that you can save me  
> Break me down and tame me  
> Here's your chance to do some damage - Bahari

Two sets of feet rushed up the stairs hand in hand. They hurried down the hall eager for some privacy, they had been trying to get away from everyone all day, but it for some reason today it hadn’t been easy. It seemed like everyone wanted their attention, but finally after lunch they were able to sneak away for a moment of peace alone.

The door creaked open as the two girls giggled rushing in and closing it behind them.

“Great Merlin I thought we would never get away!” Red hair spun in place , arms shot out and wrapped Hermione immediately in an embrace. She returned it eagerly, having missed her best friend the past few days.

“How was he? Was he terrible again? And Hermione… what happened at the dinner? Nobody remembers.” The words started from Ginny’s mouth at a trickle and quickly formed into a manic stream. “Where’s Angelina?”

Fighting back a tear again she nodded. Hermione knew this would likely be the first thing that Ginny would want to know.

“I know Gin, I have so much to tell you, but I absolutely must show you something first.”

“What is it?” A look of panic crossed her friends face. “If he hurt you again.”

Hermione shook her head quickly.

“No, no Gin. Nothing like that, actually… _nox_.”

The bedside lamp that she brushed gently with her fingertips flicked off.

She heard an audible gasp.

 _“Lumos_.”

The lamp came back to life.

“How?”

“Draco…”

“He gave you back your magic?” the incredulousness of it all was not lost on her. She was having an extremely hard time believing that Draco Malfoy had given Hermione Granger back her Magic.

“It’s only a temporary fix. It only overrides the inhibitors in place with his own magic allowing mine to surface, and even then, I don’t have full control and its not at one hundred percent.”

“But you have magic. Draco gave you magic.”

It wasn’t a question, but Hermione nodded none the less as her friend looked at her with wide, disbelieving blue eyes.

The silence between them stretched as Ginny only sat there and stared at Hermione, studying her trying to figure out how this exactly could have occurred.

Hermione had long begun to squirm, and Ginny squinted before the redhead finally blurted “He loves you doesn’t he?”

“Gin…”

“That’s why he gave you your magic. He is in love with you.”

_But it was not as though she loved him. She just told him what he needed to hear. This was how they survived in their world, surely Gin understood that._

Hermione could feel the dagger eyes coming from her friend, she did not have to look up to know she was on the receiving end of one of the famous Weasley looks of disapproval. Ginny hadn’t inherited much from Molly, but her  
ability to make you feel about an inch tall? Yeah, she had inherited that.

Cold silence.

She did not have to feel guilty about this. She had done nothing wrong.

_Yeah, except for literally sleep with the enemy._

“Why would he be in love with you Hermione?”

Ginny had her hands on her hips and one toe tapping as she waited for Hermione to answer and honestly, Hermione did not know how.

She honestly had no idea as to why, or even then to that matter, but she did know that his feelings towards her were indeed why he was treating her the way he was.

“Malfoy does not truly love anyone Gin. You and I both know that. I am just his latest prized possession and I played nice this weekend.” She shrugged. “It benefited me to do so once I learned more about the circumstances and I  
believe you will agree once you learn what I have to say…”

Small hands slowly fell from Ginny’s hips as her anger melted away at Hermione’s words.

Of course, there was more to the story, how dare her friend doubt her. She would be forgiven though, Ginny knew no one had fought and continued to fight harder than Hermione.

If they did not save themselves no one would.

“Not until the end. Isn’t that right Gin?”

Steel resolve back in her eyes Ginny nodded. They were first line, the only line, and the last line for the girls now.

“Come sit, I have more to tell you.”

The girls sat for the rest of the afternoon, Hermione telling her story. Both of them cried, and both of them swore to do whatever it took to get the rest of them out of there. Their safety was now in question, the problem didn’t  
come until the end.

“Well, when are we going to tell them?” Puffy and red eyed from her tears, looked to the door, towards where the rest of the girls lived oblivious to their futures.

“What?”

“Come now, ‘Mione.” Ginny bolted up quickly. “You can’t be serious?”

“We cannot tell them that!”

_Had Ginny lost her mind? The girls would that was for sure!_

“We have to tell them. They have a right to know.”

Hermione stood up and walked away. She looked back at her friend, she understood her point she truly did, but…

“Gin… if we tell them, it will be complete chaos. You do realize that. We can not just go tell them that they are all up for sale to be an offering.” She gave Ginny a look, begging her to see reason.

“Who are we to keep that information from them?” Ginny asked her slowly.

Placing her fingers at her temples and she paced the floor, letting out a frustrated groan.

She was right, of course. They had no right to with hold this information. They were of no authority. And Hermione lost any power she wielded over the information the moment she told it to Ginny. She continued to pace mumbling to herself until she could come up with a proposed solution. Ginny, of course, was used to this sort of thing and knew to just simply wait it out.

Holding up one finger on each hand she turned to face Ginny, holding up one finger on each hand.

“How about we don’t tell them,” Ginny opened her mouth to object, so she hurried on, “yet. We do not tell them yet, and when we do, we do not tell them all at once. We start off with one, Pavarti will be first, then Katie, and so on.  
We allow for adjustment periods if our time allows. I will see what information I can get from Draco on how much time we have in between events.”

Mouth now closed. Ginny contemplated Hermione’s offerings.

“And we can not tell them yet because we need more information. If we are going to keep everything as calm as possible then we will need to be able to answer as many questions. And they will need to know we have a plan.”

“They’ll need hope…” Ginny whispered.

Nodding Hermione sat back down on the bed and took her friend’s hand. They all needed hope, and it seemed that they were on track to getting it. Even if she had to betray Draco in the process of getting it.

It ate away at Ginny to keep the secret. Hermione could see it every time she watched her friend interact with any of the other girls, especially Pavarti. As much as it pained her though, Hermione trusted her completely not to tell  
anyone yet. She had agreed that until they knew more it would do more harm than good.

Hermione trusted Ginny Weasley with her life, she could definitely trust her with this. Especially when the logic was so sound, and it was only temporary. Ginny would do fine, then they could let the other girls in on what they knew one by one and they could all coordinate their escape with sound minds. The other option just simply would not work. There would be panic which would alert the overseers and then they would be on a much stricter watch.

What she didn’t know was that it didn’t just eat at Ginny, it was smoldering and burning her from the inside. Hermione had lit a fire and as much as Ginny tried to tamper the flame, it was only a matter of time… Ginny knew it, every time she met the eyes of one of her fellow survivors, her friends, all that she now considered family. She would hold her tongue as long as she could, but only for Hermione’s sake.

What she also did not know was how fragile that silence could be.

So, when Draco sent for her after only two days this time, she was not worried about having to keep an eye on her closest friend to not share a secret that could potentially wreak complete havoc on their current living situation.  
She had complete faith in her best friend to hold everything together in her absence.

“Back so soon?” She waltzed into the suite without any hesitation.

After the way things ended last time, she felt perfectly confident in her place and how he felt about her. After the pool they had spent three more days attempting to do research, Draco trying to find a wand, Hermione continuing to sort through time, but they always ended up entangled in each other’s embrace more than anything. Clothes thrown to the side.

Her heart skipped a beat.

What did cause her to hesitate however, was the sight of a man she had not seen in a few weeks, and to be honest she had rather liked to keep it that way.

Theodore Nott stood at her entrance clearing his throat before greeting her.

“Good afternoon Miss Granger. I do hope you have had a pleasant day thus far. It is truly such a pleasure to make your acquaintance again, and this time under much better circumstances I hope.” He tossed her a wink at his last words.

“Laying it on a bit thick aren’t you mate?”

A glass clinked down on the mahogany teak coffee table between them. Draco stood from his place on the couch facing away from her.

Her heart quickened again at his blasé tone. This alarmed her as to whether she was about to see another version of Draco different from the one she had the other day.

He turned to face her with a crooked smirk, his gaze raking over her from head to toe.

Reluctantly, she had allowed Ginny and Pavarti to dress her for her arrival this evening. They told her she wanted to go for alluring, yet unobtainable. Which was fine for her, or so she thought until Gin pulled out a cocktail dress that dipped extremely low in the front. Both girls had given their stamps of approval of the pale shimmery gold dress despite her protests. Surely her and Draco were beyond this.

“You and Draco will never be beyond this.”

Ginny had met her eyes stonily when she had voiced her thoughts and by the way he was practically undressing her right there on the very spot she supposed Gin had been right. There was a small pang in her chest at this  
realization, but she never let her smile falter.

“You look absolutely,” he closed the distance between them and ran his finger along the hem of her dress, just grazing the top of her thigh. “Delectable.”

She squinted and studied his face, eyes… he seemed calm, at ease almost. This was still her Draco so far it seemed. She felt the tension melt off her shoulders.

“Absolutely perfect for tonight’s festivities actually.” Theo grinned at her before tipping back the last of his glass.

“Tonight’s festivities?”

She looked past Draco’s shoulder to where Theo was now making his way across the room towards them and back again to the man in front of her in confusion.

With a devilish gleam in his eyes he smiled at her wickedly.

“We are going out.”

Music pulsed through her body as Draco led her through the Lounge and to his own private seating area, Theo was closely tucked behind her bringing up the rear. The room was exceedingly dim and the only lights to see by were the flashing lights from the stage. Every now and then she could feel his body brush against hers, or his hand would linger on her hip as he guided her. These were things she was both acutely aware of and not entirely sure how comfortable this made her feel, even though she convinced herself he meant nothing by it.

The Lounge appeared entirely different from a voyeuristic perspective.

They sat together in their private booth, getting served drink after drink. Hermione was absolutely stunned at the complete excess that the pureblood elites were still capable of, even after a war that devastated both the wizarding and muggle world. Half of what she earned was spent on overinflated comfort foods for her and Gin. To see Draco and Theo partake in what even back in her Hogwarts days to be considered delicacies was really quite difficult for her to wrap her mind around.

“Relax Princess.” Draco leaned into murmur in her ear, while stroking his hand up and down her thigh.

A perfect moment really, because right then three girls, whom Hermione could not recognize past tonight’s costumes, wandered by eyeing her and whispering amongst each other. She wiggled uncomfortably trying to pull her dress down and slide Draco’s hand away from her leg at the same time.

Draco was currently too occupied to pay her direct attention by the line of patrons that continued the parade themselves before him. She supposed most everyone knew who he was after the Gala, and what better way to get the best bid the next time than to get in the owner’s good graces?

She hated it up here. She decided it then.

It was as though she was being put on display for everyone, and even though she was in a mask there was no hiding who she was to the people who lived and worked at the Lounge, and right now it seemed she was all they could talk about.

One girl in a particularly nasty group caught Theo’s eye and he invited her into their private section. Cherry was her club name, she was a mousy petite blonde, and if you asked Hermione she talked too much, but to each their own. Hermione watched as the girl did all the things she was trained to do, everything to please a pureblood and catch his interest and his wallet.  
She snickered as the girl convinced Theo to come off of eight galleons for a bottle of champagne. Hermione knew for a fact that she would get thirty percent of that sale.

“What?” He asked, squinting his eyes at her suspiciously.

“Nothing.” She waved her hands in front of her with a smile.

“She’s a little…”

“Vapid?” he supplied lifting one corner of his mouth up in a grin.

“Well if you must.”

“Ah, yes. Well when you don’t plan on keeping them, they are far easier to handle that way.”

“Oh? So, you don’t plan on bringing her back to the room tonight?”

Theo swirled his drink, the ice cube clinked around the glass. He studied its contents carefully as he put together his answer.

“Princess… no one will be coming back to the room with the three of us tonight.” He cut his eyes at her, curious to see if she would catch his implication.

But right when she was going to question his meaning Cherry returned to the table with not one bottle of champagne but two, and enough glasses for all of them. Hermione was incredibly surprised.

“Wow. Cherry thank you, that was truly kind.”

The girl just cut her eyes over at Hermione choosing to ignore her all together, earning her an arched brow from both herself and Theo.

_Well there went any sympathy card she held for her._

“So, do tell me about yourself Cherry.” Theo grinned and winked in Hermione’s direction as he directed Cherry to take a seat directly in his lap.

 _Oh, for heavens sake._ She rolled her eyes and she could hear Theo’s low chuckle.

Cherry was just as shallow and disappointing as far as companionship as she had presumed she would be. The only pleasant surprise had been the witty comradery she had found in Theo, mostly at dear Cherry’s expense. To be  
fair the girl walked into most of them though.

“Let me get this straight? Your name is Cherry because you can tie a cherry stem in a knot only using your tongue?”

Hermione nearly spit out her drink.

_No, freaking way!_

_“Bet you can’t get her to do it.”_ She mouthed at him. A subtle nod of the head was all she received in acknowledgement.

“Well the thing is, I have here a cherry stem...”

Where the hell he procured a cherry stem from thin air she had no idea, but that was beyond the point. She leaned in, raptly glued to the scene before her.

“and if you can tie it in a knot as you say…” he trailed off leaving the younger girl to her own imagination. Which was probably far more likely to come up with some creative reward than the wizard next to her was.

She enthusiastically popped the cherry stem in her mouth and within moments presented a little red knot tied between her teeth.

“Well would you look at that, Amora? We have ourselves some real talent.”

The girl beamed unaware of the fact the Theo was mocking her trivial feat.

Hermione shook her head, the belittling things these girls would do for a sickle. She gave her a slow clap anyway.

Finally getting a break from all the visitors, Draco turned back in to join them.

“Ahh, drinks.” He and Theo both popped a bottle of champagne and the twittery little girl bouncing in Theo’s lap squealed in faux delight. She cared no more about the champagne than she did the slop they served them for food. All she cared about was how much could she make them spend.

_Wonder what she would do if she knew she were sitting with the club owner right now?_

Either way, Cherry kept the drinks coming, she moved on from champagne to bringing out whatever cocktail Draco suggested off the top of his head, never once did she question how he knew the menu so well.

The flash of red hair caught her off guard as she realized the next dance was none other than Ginny’s. She watched as her friend, who was known for being very dominating and aggressive, worked her performance. Ginny was extremely athletic. In fact, all the girls were. It was one of the few benefits of being forced into being a stripper.

_First rule of stripping. Stripping is not easy._

But as she watched she was mesmerized, Ginny made it look easy. She made it look good and fun and sexy. And gods something was wrong with her, but she missed it. She missed the thrill, and the music, the control… the power.

Hermione swayed to the beat, dancing with Ginny in her seat, the few drinks she had already starting to take effect. The whole time she had been watching Ginny, Draco’s hand had slowly been working its way up higher and higher on her thigh. To no avail, Hermione continued to try to bat him away.

Right now, Ginny commanded them all. Even Draco and Theo were watching her.

“Your friend has some skills.” Theo nodded to her over the loud music. His eyes, though, Hermione noted, lingered where Draco’s hand was working his way up her leg and attempting to go under her dress.  
Ignoring the blonde wizard beside her she nodded her agreement. “She’s quite brilliant really.”

“Not as brilliant as some others I’ve seen.” Draco cut his eye at her while taking a gulp from his cocktail.

She found herself blushing at the compliment while the girl across from her, obviously misinterpreting the direction of the statement preened in Theo’s lap. She had him straddled now and, like Hermione, was also swaying back and forth to the music, but when Hermione looked up from her tiny swaying body, she was startled to make eye contact with the man across from her. Almost like he had been watching her dance instead of the dancer in his lap.

Ginny exited the stage and Draco hailed down another round of drinks for the foursome. This time the squeal that erupted from the other girl’s mouth Hermione was sure was genuine. At this point, even if she was going to have to split the profits with Hermione, which she wasn’t but she didn’t know that, the girl was raking in quite a hefty profit for very little work considering.

And when the drinks continued to arrive in record time with extraordinarily little wait the mousy blonde girl absolutely marveled at Draco’s prominent stature.

“You must be someone awfully important. You have your own setup and I have never seen them rush orders out like this before.”

“You were probably too busy practicing your fisherman skills to notice.” Theo waved flippantly.

Hermione laughed at the same time Cherry replied with a simple tilt of her head.

“What? I don’t fish.”

“Not very well anyway.” Hermione added to Theo’s point, both of them smirking at their inside joke as Cherry continued to look on perplexed.

The girl moved closer to Draco and Hermione bristled. She crossed both her legs over his possessively. Clearly stating her claim to the wizard beside her, glaring at the once witch across from her.

Draco simply chuckled.

“Perks of being a VIP.” He leaned in and winked at her and Hermione rolled her eyes fighting back a smile. “You know what that means right, Princess?”

“One could only be left to wonder.”

He chuckled and slid his hand further up her thigh despite her protests.

“It means I’m a very important person Hermione.” He whispered in her ear so only she could hear him. “And do you know what very important people get to do?”

With a sigh she shook her head no, knowing she most likely would not like his answer.

“It means,” His fingers slid up higher brushing against her knickers, “that we can do whatever we want.”

Panties slid aside and Draco slid one finger down her slit.

“Sir…” she was sure to use his club name, “not here.”

“Mmm.” Draco leaned in, inhaling at her neck, and whispering right below her ear. “I believe now is the perfect time.”

One finger slid inside of her and her eyes instantly shot up looking around. Luckily, this part of the lounge was so dark it was notoriously hard to see in front of you. The waitresses depended on the lighted pathways for guidance kind of dark. She couldn’t even make out many of the faces around her yet alone would they be able to tell what Draco was up to. Even little Cherry was none the wiser as she prattled on to Theo, back in his lap trying to regain his interest.

Theo though… Theo stared right at her with dark eyes. Right at them, somehow, he knew.

“Gods Princess you’re so wet.”

He inserted a second finger and she had to stifle the moan. She could not believe he was doing this to her here, in public.

_Well honestly, yes. Yes, she could. She should have expected something like this._

She could feel Theo’s eyes still watching them, watch her across their little private area. It occurred to Hermione then that it would take nothing for him to get up and close the space between them if were to so choose. Her walls clamped down on Draco’s fingers at the thought and this time she did moan. Draco kissed her, devouring her sound with his lips.

“Shh Princess…” he whispered against her mouth before he gently pulled away leaving her flushed and panting as he still pumped his fingers in and out of her.

She didn’t know how Draco was able to find that spot that set her off so immediately, but good gods, the man was unrelenting when it come to her and his hands. And she didn’t know whether to be grateful or furious at him.

Chancing another glance in their direction she was not at all surprised to see that Theo’s was still watching her very raptly. Acutely interested in what was happening across the table from him. Cherry was dancing on his lap to some new song, but he held Hermione with his eyes. She rolled her hips into Draco, beyond the point of return.

The more she knew he was watching the hotter she got.

She imagined straddling Draco, here in the club, taking him under her dress without anyone being the wiser. Except Theo, Theo would know. Theo would get up and cross to their side, and he would lean in behind her, whispering in her ear catching her by surprise before he cupped her breasts.

Her breathing increased as she rolled her hips faster meeting Draco, her hands coming up to cup her breasts, through her dress. All as Theo watched her across the way, his breath was coming out faster now as he guided Cherry to an angle so she wouldn’t block his view. Hermione watched as the girl reached down to rub at his pants, and he lifted his hips ever so slightly to meet her.

Closing her eyes, she was riding Draco again, Theo behind her, urging her on whispering the same dirty things Draco had that day they were in the balcony.

Draco grabbed a fistful of her hair and brought her mouth to his capturing his name as it came tumbling off her lips while she came tumbling down her climax.

“Interesting.”

There was a gleam in Draco’s eyes that made Hermione uneasy as she pulled her legs out of his lap and straightened her dress.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” She cleared her throat, signaling that the discussion was clearly over.

“Interesting indeed.” The other wizard toasted to Draco first, then Hermione.

Apparently, Theo hadn’t received the memo.

They stumbled into the suite laughing at some joke Theo had said. Hermione held on to his arm as she rode out her fit of laughter. He escorted her to one of the modern styled couches in the center of the room and they both plopped down together.

She was still leaning heavily on Theo as he continued to tell her the story of how Draco fell off his broom during one of their first flying lessons together. She found herself lost again in another fit of laughter when he got to the part where Draco, very characteristically, proclaimed he would be informing his father of the subpar broom he was being forced to use during his private lesson.

“Those brooms were rather subpar. I seem to remember you falling and complaining yourself Theodore.” Gray eyes cut up at his friend as he walked away from them.

Draco made his way straight to the bar, leaving her in Theo’s care, and began pouring drinks.

“Don’t listen to him.” Theo’s lips brushed the shell of her ear when he whispered, and she shivered. She cut her eyes over to Draco only to find him entirely focused on his task. “We both know no one could ever hold a candle to the Prince of Slytherin when it came to complaining back then.”

With a giggle she nodded in agreement, knowing all too well what young Malfoy had been like as a child. As far as snotty, entitled brats went he most definitely took the cake. In fact, he had been her own personal, number one tormenter all throughout there Hogwarts years, only letting up in sixth year. He had relentlessly made rude comments within her ear shot about her unruly hair, her larger front teeth, and most of all her filthy blood.

When Draco finally turned back to them from the back she lost it to another round of hysterics thanks to the alcoholic haze that was already muddling everything, otherwise she was sure she would have gotten up and bolted right out of the room. Instead she sat there, practically in Theo’s lap, as they both watched the blonde wizard’s approach curiously from across the room.

Draco offered the glass of swirly, pink champagne to Theo first, who took it but did not drink. He then turned to Hermione and offered her the remaining extra in his hands.

She only sat there and stared at it, dumbfounded. Even in her addled state her fingers did not move towards the offered glass. Hermione made it a point to purposefully avoid the concoction at all costs. The last thing she needed was the exposure to Veritaserum, she had too many secrets to keep, and too many lives depending on her.

Both men took in her hesitation, but neither seemed upset that she had yet to take the offered concoction.

“I must admit Draco,” Theo leaned back into the couch swirling his own glass and looked at it studiously. “I too am curious as to why we have been offered dosed Chandon, and from the looks of it quite generously dosed at that.”  
At his words Draco smirked and turned up his own glass of swirling pink champagne and took a heavy drink.

“After everything, it only seemed fair.” He spoke directly to her, his gray eyes never leaving hers conveying his earnestness. “It also seemed like an opportunity for a bit of fun.”

Hand still outstretched, offering Hermione her own glass, he took another heavy swallow from his own.

Hermione reached out and wrapped her fingers around the delicate stemware. The contents in the glass swirled and shimmered just like last time, only this time it looked more viscous than it had at the gala, but it was not as concentrated as it had been the day Theo had first given it to her when she had first been presented to Draco.

Not taking her eyes from Draco’s she brought the glass to her lips, the sweet bubbles instantly beginning their work on her body. He brought his glass up again as if to toast her before taking his third drink and she cut her eyes over to Theo. He had still been waiting not touching the drink of his own, watching the two of them just as studiously as he had at the Lounge.

Theo missed nothing.

As soon as his warm brown eyes met hers his lips turned up in their usually careless grin and he toasted her as well and brought his own glass up downing it in one long swallow.

Not to be outdone, she took another swallow, and another, the more she drank the bigger Theo’s grin spread.

“Impressive.” Draco quirked an eyebrow at her when he took her completely empty glass from her hand, holding it with his still half full one.

“Well?” She nodded at the remaining contents of his glass and smirked when his eyes lit up at her challenge.

Tilting his head back, Draco downed the remainder of his own drink. Hermione watched in fascination every swallow his throat made. She wanted nothing more than to lick him from that spot on his jugular to that point right behind his ear, where she knew if she nibbled just right, he would lose himself entirely.

It was too hot.

Her clothes were too heavy.

The dress that didn’t seem to cover enough of her earlier this evening was too much. It scratched at her skin where it made contact. Having ridden high up her thighs, hardly covering up anything at all Hermione simply could not see the point in wearing it anymore at all.

Standing she turned her back to Draco, in a silent request, one which the wizard obliged all too willingly.

The moment Hermione felt Draco’s fingers brush across her shoulders she let out a moan, meeting Theo’s eyes from his position on the couch where his eyes were riveted to her every move.

The potion had taken full effect, and everything felt… more so much more, and instead of simply undoing the clasp at the top of her dress he chose to run his hands over every bit of skin the dress did not hide. Her body leaned into each and every one of his touches, demanding more, more of the wonderous sensations that his touches left behind on their torturous path down her arms, up her neck, tangled in her hair, a gentle tug, and a whisper in her ear.

“Look at him now Princess.” Teeth grazed her ear. A whimper escaped her mouth and she met Theo’s heated gaze.

_Was this what she thought it was? And if it was to what degree she wondered, how far would Draco take it this time?_

Magically appearing whisky seemed to be abundant in Draco’s penthouse she hazily noted as Theo sipped from a glass whilst watching Draco run his hand up her thigh, pulling her dress up just high enough for him to see the green lingerie she wore beneath.

“How Slytherin of you.”

At Theo’s comment Draco chuckled and finally undid the clasp at her neck, allowing her dress to pool at her shoes.

_It most definitely was what she thought it was. But this time it appeared that Theo was designated to the voyeur station tonight._

Hermione loved it. She couldn’t help but think of hooded brown eyes sneaking glances her way all evening, and the little game they’d secretly shared between just the two of them.

Heated eyes took her in from both sides. The little green lacey underthing was only a tiny piece of the set she wore, the crowning piece was the matching lacey balconette bra, that was just nearly see through.

“This is all you, Princess.” Draco’s lips teased her neck as he kissed his way down her shoulders, he pressed himself against her back, alerting her to his own arousal.

“Mmm.” And the wizard behind her, the way he had toyed with her all evening, almost as though he’d known Theo had been watching.

“Do you like watching me Theodore?” her voice dipped to a sultry level as she leaned against Draco, his hands traveling over the lacey material, leaving gooseflesh in his wake.

A slow smile creeped up her lips as Theo’s jaw slowly dropped and he nodded.

She turned in place to find a look of raw hunger so fierce in those stormy eyes she was coming to learn so well. She ran her finger down his chest as she took slow deliberate steps around him. Now she was glad Pavarti had insisted on these ridiculous strappy shoes, they gave her legs for days.

Tonight, was her night, this was her game, and these would be her rules. She knew she had no choice but to play, but she could curb it as much as she wanted if she was a willing participant and played along. Even better that they were going to allow her to lead.

Biting her lip, she glanced back once more at Theo who had yet to move from the very same position she had left him in, but his blazing brown eyes were solely trained on her as she sashayed across the room. Wordlessly he told her if given the chance he would devour her… and she might just let him.

That look alone had her knickers drenched.

But… she looked back at Draco who was watching her with the same fierce hunger before she made up her mind.

Surprisingly, she made it halfway down the hallway towards the bedrooms before she had to call out.

“Are you gentlemen coming?”

Shuffling immediately ensued from the other room and Hermione could not help but to smile to herself.

This really was her game tonight.

She strode into Draco’s room, leaving the door cracked open behind her. Using her borrowed magic, she set the lights on a dim setting, turned to face the door, and waited.

The guys strode in, Draco first, his blonde hair cutting a stark contrast against tonight’s usual elegant black suite, and Theo after, who’s broad shoulders seemed to impossibly fill the doorway. He stopped there leaning, watching again as Draco approached her like a feral lion.

His hands grabbed her desperately as he pulled her to him before his mouth came down upon hers, his tongue demanding entrance. She groaned at the taste of him as he swept into her mouth, mimicking, showing her all the things he planned to do with just that very appendage.

When she pulled away for air, he trailed down her neck licking, sucking, and biting, eliciting sounds Hermione did not know she was capable of making. Warmth found her nipple through the thin lace and she nearly cried out when Draco sucked and pulled her nipple between his teeth.

The clasp of her bra came undone and it fell to the floor, just like her dress before it, and Draco lavished her other breast with just as much attention as the first causing her to fist his hair as she gasped for breath.

A moan from across the room caught her attention. Almost forgotten, Theo… watching. She could see the outline of his erection through his trousers and she bit her lips.

She liked Theo watching. She had secretly liked him watching all night. The entire time Draco had tormented her, she had known he’d been watching, had noticed the heat in his eyes…. Had even imagined just this as she came around Draco’s fingers earlier this evening. The Lounge had been dark, but she knew he had watched it all. And it had taken her higher than she thought possible.

Simpering at the memory she rolled her body into Draco, watching Theo’s reaction. Fevered eyes met hers until the movement of his hand caught her eye and she watched as he slowly stroked himself through his pants.

Another whimper.

Draco herded her towards the bed. Where he commanded that she get up on her knees. Potion-obliged, Hermione followed his command without hesitation. He pulled her back in for another blinding kiss and she found herself undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Some small voice told her to open her eyes to the wizard across the room. Draco continued to devour her mouth, but for every button she removed from him, Theo removed one of his own. She grinned to herself.

_This was the game._

_She had set the board, and the rules, but the players still held their own cards._

Fingers glided across her knickers.

“Draco…”

“Mmhmm…” he nosed behind her ear, “tell me Princess, what excites you more.”

He pressed one finger against her entrance causing her to grasp onto his bare shoulders as she let out an audible gasp, every nerve in her body coming to life at the contact. Losing any semblance of control, she pushed into his hand wanting more of him. Again, he obliged her by sliding the thin strip of lace to the side and sliding one finger between her folds and into her center.

“Ah...” she cried out as he slowly began a rhythmic motion with his finger before adding another, deliciously stretching her even more.

“Having Theo watch as I make you come for me over and over again, or the thought that you could actually have us both tonight it you chose to.”

He never spoke above a whisper, more filthy words just for her to hear. Words meant to push her closer to the edge, but her eyes show open and looked back across the room at the now shirtless wizard who was so tanned and muscled. He was gorgeous in every way that Draco was not, and right now he was watching intently as Draco was bringing her to yet another climax this evening.

_It did seem only a little unfair… but two men._

Before Draco, Hermione had only been with Ron and Victor before that. Did she really want to try to take on two men at once?

_If she chose to. Those were his words. This was still all in her control._

The wizard across the room still stood into door jam, the only article of clothing removed being his shirt, mirroring Draco it seemed. Every now and then he groped himself through his pants, attempting to relieve some strain.

Curious, Hermione tested out a Theory. Catching Draco’s eyes, she sat back away from him, her body fighting the very thought of leaving his magical hands and the things he was going to her. She unbuckled his belt first, letting the metal clang as it fell to the stone floor. The sound echoed across the room and her eyes shot up to Draco’s in question. He simply quirked an eyebrow at her, as if to say this was her show.

Biting her lip, she continued, with the top button, followed by the zipper, again she heard the echo and her heart began to race.

Letting go of Draco all together she backed into the bed, Draco immediately taking his cue to join her. Theo, she found still unmoved, even if he was a little more disrobed than before.

Draco’s hands wound their way around her neck and hair, and she knew it was now or never, Draco would take over soon and words would be beyond her capabilities.

“Theo…”

It was just above a whisper, but enough to give Draco pause, which was enough to make Hermione wonder if she had made the wrong decision.

“I didn’t think you had it in you Princess.” Was all he said before he began devouring her mouth again just before she felt the bed dip behind her, and two more sets of strong hands came around to caress the front of her chest.

She was completely lost as four set of hands groped, pinched, tugged, and squeezed at her body. If she had thought she was on a sensation overload with just Draco and the potion she was in for it now.

Theo’s mouth trailed up her neck and to whisper in her ear as Draco nibbled a path down her stomach.

“Princess, you have no idea how badly I have wanted this. How badly I want to taste you.”

His hand wrapped around hers and guided it to wrap around his impressive length. As if on autopilot she began to stroke him in time to his caresses to her breasts.

He hissed, bucking his hips into her palm.

She groaned, oh how she liked that. She did it again and this time kept up her rhythm, Theo reflexively met her stroke for stroke.

Draco nibbled on her hip bone causing her to press her push back against Theo.

Another hiss.

“Hermione…” a guttural warning.

Draco’s hands came up and cupped her face as his mouth possessively claimed hers, his tongue ravishing her thoroughly. She was sure her lips were already bruised and swollen, but for the life of her she could not find it in her  
to care. Right now, Draco felt and tasted so perfect and amazing. Another hot mouth was sucking at her neck sending jolts of pleasure to her core. It was then that she felt another set of thumbs hook into her panties and slide them down to her knees.

She whimpered.

“Spread your legs Hermione.” Her blonde wizard ordered between kisses, again, whether she liked it or not she did as she was told.

She felt Theo’s hands trail back up her legs until he came to the juncture of her thighs. He gently squeezed and smacked her ass startling her, only causing Draco to chuckle.

“Easy mate.”

Hermione did not know what Theo’s response was, but the next thing she knew he dipped his fingers into her from behind, curling them upward so that he put pressure on the most perfect spot Hermione had ever felt.

“My apologies, Princess. I just couldn’t help myself, with an ass like that.” He nipped her ear, “It deserves to be spanked.”

Groaning she swore out loud. These men and their damn filthy mouths, and hands… oh great Merlin!

Draco allowed Theo to take control of pleasuring her as he finished removing the remainder of his clothing. He kneeled before her on the bed, hand on his own cock as he watched Theo pleasure her, and Hermione… well Hermione was losing her mind.

Theo was holding her right on the edge and she did not know how much more of his torture she could take.

“Please… Theo…” she begged. She needed the release she was so close to.

_If only she could shift and get just a little more friction._

She met Draco’s eyes pleadingly as he watched with lust filled eyes, slowly stroking his own cock up and down. Hermione quickly found herself drawn to the motion. With a firm grip his hand would squeeze at the base before coming up and circling around his shiny pink head and coming back down again.

She licked her lips.

“Fuck Hermione.” Draco let out a groan. “You know you can’t do that.”

“Do you want to taste his cock Princess?” warm words brushed across her hear, and he applied just a little more pressure cause her to scream out in pleasure.

She nodded.

_Damn it all. Verituserum._

Draco’s eyes widened for a millisecond, before he composed his features again. But it was long enough for Hermione to know that he had caught on.

She knew how to manipulate this game at least.

Taking control of the situation she slid up and down Theo’s hand, riding him for Draco’s show.

“Tell me Draco, do you want to fuck me, or do you want to watch Theo have all the fun?”

“Both.” The word shot from his mouth smoothly and confidently.

Theo pulled away from her, also removing the remainder of his clothing he kneeled right next to Draco before her.

“My turn,” he stroked his own member, which was just as equally as impressive as Draco’s. But where Draco’s was longer his was wider. “Who do you want to fuck you tonight Princess.”

She clamped her mouth shut. Fighting the words she knew were going to come flying out, all while the two men before her looked at her as though she were the most gorgeous thing they had ever laid eyes on.

_Would it really be so bad, after all, you only have one life to live? And it has already proven how short it can be._

Her breathing came out heavier the more she fought. Everything kept getting more and more heightened. The air moving around her, the sheets on her skin. She didn’t know when she had laid down, but she was, and Merlin, why did everything feel so good. She slid up and down the sheets, letting the silky fabric roll over her body. She brought one hand up to her breast and the other between her legs.

Both men still loomed over her watching, expressions growing hotter by the second.

“Hermione…as amazing as this is, stop fighting and answer the question before this gets worse.”

She shook her head back and forth against the sheets biting her lip.

Draco lost it first, capturing both her hands in his before doing the same with her lips.

“You know that drives me crazy.” He told her, eyes wild, his breath ghosting across her face. She whimpered at his contact shifting her body into him. Searching.

Theo was next, he grabbed one of her heels kissing her on the inside of the ankle, before slowly leaving a trail of wet kisses up her leg to her knee.

“Answer. My. Question. Hermione”

The gravel in his voice set her off again and her hips thrust in his direction of their own accord. She could feel the words bubbling in the back of her throat, waiting to spew forward. Fear held her back.

Grunting, he continued his path of hot kisses until he was right at her center.

“Is this what you want Hermione?” Draco nuzzled her ear with his nose, sending shivers down her spine. “Do you want Theodore’s head buried between your legs?”

A nod.

_Fuck._

One long slow lick through her slick heat was all it took, and they had her. Her back arched off the bed as much as she could with Draco pinning her down. Draco used one of his own legs to nudge her legs apart so the brunette wizard could have complete access to her. He used long, deep licks before gently sucking on her clit causing her to scream out.

“Fuck Hermione, I didn’t think it could get any hotter watching you scream for me, but watching you scream for my best mate while I hold you down…” He chuckled darkly… “There just might be something to be said about that. You are fucking glorious.”

She cried out again as Theo speared her center with is tongue, fucking her with his mouth, as Draco continued to paint fantastic imagery in her head.

She could feel herself climbing, each sensation cresting and crashing against the berm, and with it the words she did not want to say.

Draco leaned forward and took one of her nipples into her mouth gently licking and sucking, before harshly biting down.

“Both of you! I want both of you tonight!” She cried out as that small amount of pain pushed her over the edge.

She lay there panting and spent, both men looked down at her with satisfied smirks on their faces.

_Fuck it. Let them have her._

She giggled. The pink fuzzies were back and all was right with the world. She vaguely heard the talking above her. Only catching a snippet or two here or there.

“...fought the serum too long…”

“…is she ready...”

“…can she?”

She felt hands rolling her over to her side and she saw Draco’s picturesque face, all pink and soft with more fuzzies. She reached up to pet him.

“Yup, she definitely fought it too long. She is feeling rather good right about now. Aren’t you princess?”

She nodded into his chest, breathing is his scent. There it was again, the bergamot, mint, and sandalwood.

_Merlin, he smelled delectable._

Sliding her hands up his chest she wove her hands through his feather soft hair, pulling his lips down to hers.

She groaned at the taste of him, deepening her kiss.

The heat of another body pressed against her back as Theo made himself comfortable behind her. She reached behind her turning and breaking her kiss from Draco pulled Theo down to her lips to claim as well.

She could still taste her essence on him, and it only turned her on all the more as Theo loomed over her, pressing her against the man in front of her.

When they came up for air, she found Draco lined up at her entrance, knee already bent to the side. He met her eyes as if to ask permission before he entered her. He did not go slow this time, neither of them had the patience for that as he slid himself inside of her in one, solid thrust. She gasped into Theo’s mouth as Draco filled her to entirety.

“There we go Princess, one down.”

Tilting her face back to him with his finger Draco kissed her adoringly as he set a steady rhythm, gradually climbing her up her peak.

A hand gripped her ass and she idly wondered what Theo was up to. She heard him murmur a spell and felt a cool tingling on her bum, which she thought was odd, until she felt the pressure of the head of him at her back entrance.

“Just breathe Hermione.” Draco whispered to her, having stilled for the moment. “Just relax.”

She did as she was ordered. Hermione breathed, and she relaxed as Theo entered her behind making her fuller than she every though possible. He stretched her so much that it almost bordered on pain, but the potion ensured that that too was pleasurable.

Moaning at the sheer pleasure of it all Hermione tried moving against them only to have them both hold her still.

“Not yet Princess. Give yourself a moment. We don’t want you getting hurt.”

Pouting at the serious stormy eyes in front of her she whined like a petulant child.

“But I don’t need more time.”

Rolling her hips, she got both men to let out groans of ecstasy. Again. And again.

“Damn it, Hermione.” Draco fisted her hair tugging her head back just enough that she couldn’t quite move the same way as easily.

“Draco…” she was silenced as he slowly began to thrust back in and out of her, allowing her to accommodate to the feeling of having two men inside her. After a few turns Theo picked up the rhythm, alternating thrusts.

_Oh Gods!_

This. This was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She had read about it sure, but even what she had read could not hold a candle to the feeling of having two of the sexiest wizards she had ever seen filling her at the  
same time.

“Is this what you wanted Hermione?” Draco grunted in her ear, tugging on the lobe of her ear enough to cause pain.

“Yes!” she heard a voice shout, surely it was not hers.

“Gods, Hermione this ass is so tight.” More words from Theo, more grunts.

Theo’s hand smoothed over her bottom and gave it a solid smack and she let out a yell, her pussy flooding and contracting around Draco.

Draco tugged her head back by her hair. “I want to watch you come for us Hermione.”

Theo’s other hand came up to wrap around her throat, applying just enough pressure.

She panted, soothing caresses where she was spanked moments before were in complete opposition with all the other sensations she was feeling. She was starting to get over loaded and could feel the little pool in her core, the  
tingle in her hair and toes.

_Smack._

Theo’s hand came down hard, she yelled out, and they pumped in and out of her faster. She was hurtling to the edge and so were they.

“Princess, I am going to tell you when I need you to come. Do you understand me?” Theo panted in her ear.

Unable to speak any longer she only nodded.

“Good girl.”

_Smack._

More soothing strokes. More pressure on her throat, a tighter grip on her hair, she felt like she was being split in two, in the best way possible.

“Fuuuck, Hermione. You are so fucking perfect.” Draco sucked just below her ear before sucking gently and then biting down hard.

“Ahh!” She didn’t know how much longer she could keep it together, one more move and she would be there, where that was, she had no idea. Currently she felt as though she were in uncharted waters.

“Now Princess. Come for me now.”

_Smack._

And she did. Hermione did not know if it was the potion or if it was the simple fact that someone had so authoritatively told her when she could find her own release, but either way she came. Her orgasm hit her so hard that it was blinding, and her vision dimmed as she rode out the waves screaming their names.

Gripping her hips tightly Draco stilled first crying out her name spilling himself deep inside her, quickly followed by Theo who came buried hilt deep in her ass with a loud grunt.

Hermione awoke the following morning her body sore in some new conspicuous places. She was still completely wrapped up in Draco’s arms. Theo was sprawled across the bed completely uncovered by the sheets, and completely naked.

_Why was Theo naked? And why was he in bed with them?_

Ever so slowly the events of the night before started to take place in her mind and before she could even digest what emotion to feel. The bedroom door burst open.

Hermione bolted upright at the sight of the pristinely dressed blonde witch standing in the doorway.

“Draco Malfoy! And Theodore Nott, I should have known!”

She flicked her wand at the windows causing all the blinds to fly up letting in all the harsh beams of sunlight.

“Is this how you have been spending all your time away from home? Sleeping around with some mudblood slag?” The witch gestured towards Hermione like she was nothing more than a piece of trash.

With a groan Theo rolled over covering his head with a pillow, mumbling something that muffled came out as _“get your life.”_

Chills erupted down Hermione’s back as Draco ran his finger up and down her exposed spine, drawing her attention back to him and away from the witch at the door.

She looked into his eyes, scared of what she’d see there after the night before, but nothing was there except his pure adoration. His eyes and the small smile on his lips seemed to be telling her “Good morning Princess.”

_Clearly Theo needed to get his life in order. This must be extremely embarrassing even though he seems highly unfazed by the whole thing._

“What are you doing here Astoria?”

Draco turned instantly glacial eyes on the other witch and like a tub of ice water was dumped on her, Hermione realized who the witch before her was.

His wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Apologies guys... sometimes things happen.... I still write for comments :D
> 
> **Please don't hate me. it back to the plot next chapter! I mean Hello ASTORIA showed up! While they were naked in bed!


	6. Bad Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad Guy
> 
> I like it when you take control  
> Even if you know that you don't  
> Own me, I'll let you play the role  
> I'll be your animal
> 
> My mommy likes to sing along with me  
> But she won't sing this song  
> If she reads all the lyrics  
> She'll pity the men I know
> 
> So you're a tough guy  
> Like it really rough guy  
> Just can't get enough guy  
> Chest always so puffed guy
> 
> I'm that bad type  
> Make your mama sad type  
> Make your girlfriend mad tight  
> Might seduce your dad type  
> I'm the bad guy, duh
> 
> I'm the bad guy, duh
> 
> I'm only good at being bad, bad
> 
> I like when you get mad – Billie Eilish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie

Something crashed into the wall from the other side, shattering to little bits. Shouting ensued once again. First Astoria followed by Draco, then another shriek of rage and the deafening clang of something being thrown across the room. _“Filthy mudblood whore!”_ Draco shouting back and again the cycle continued. They had been going at it for at least half an hour.

Theodore still snored next to her, sprawled out nude, without a care to the commotion in the room adjoining them.

 _Cute._ Hermione rolled her eyes sardonically, such a waste.

She sat with her back pressed against the head board, sheets draped over her still naked body as she cleaned under her finger nails and listened to the argument on the other side of the walls, hoping some useful bit of information would get dropped.

Somehow her life had taken her on a series of events that had led her to sitting in the bed of Draco Malfoy, after just having her first threesome as his whore, all the while listening to him argue with his wife of all things. She chuckled to herself at the irony. If she didn’t need him for everything he was offering she would get up and leave. Even common prostitutes had their limits, and she was fairly certain they had long since passed.

But alas… she held up her hand and let the little bit of magic she had had dance between her fingers. She needed him.

_She hated him for it._

She hated him for the power he loomed over her. She hated him for the fact that he was her only hope of escape. She hated him for turning her into this… person.

 _“This is really how you choose to spend your time? Instead of being at home with me, your_ pureblood _wife you would rather stay here and shove your cock in one of your own mudblood whores!”_

That word again. _Mudblood,_ like her blood was truly any different than theirs.

She looked over at the Adonis of a brunette next to her. He too was his own definition of perfect, too perfect. Perfect hair, perfect looks, perfect body, perfect blood.

She loathed that blood. That very blood that was pumping through his veins now that they claimed was somehow superior to hers. Oh, how it would be all to easy to rid him of his precious pureblood, right here, asleep, already practically dead to the world.

_Then she could run her own experiment to see if his blood really did run different than her own._

Just One. Little. Knick. Her eyes traveled back and forth between the file in her hand and back to the wizards exposed carotid artery. If Ginny were here the fiery witch would do so without pause.

_So why couldn’t she?_

But that of course would effectively ruin all of her chances of ever hoping to escape this twisted version of purgatory, unfortunately she needed Malfoy alive, and it was highly unlikely he would appreciate her offing her best mate in his bed.

Irritated she kicked off him as she climbed out of the bed head to the shower. She might as well ready for the day and do something productive if she was not going to become a black widow this morning. With the way the things were still sounding in the room next-door she bet she could talk Astoria into joining her and covering up the evidence of a double homicide.

She let out a long dramatic sigh at some point she was going to have to get to Malfoy’s library, hopefully, one or better all of them were gone by then.

She stepped into the bathroom being sure to lock the door behind her, both physically and with magic, before turning on the taps. After taking off her clothes one look in the mirror was all it took to make her shudder in disgust. Not only was her hair a total and complete mess, which was to be expected, but she could hardly even count the amount of love bites covering her body, physical evidence of the night before, just like the stickiness between her thighs. This though, this she could hardly wash away.

The steam of the shower filled the crisp white room. Everything was hard lines and edges. Hermione opened the clear glass separating her from the raining water and sighed as it hit her skin. She closed her eyes as the water falling from the ceiling rinsed away the residue of the night before. She inhaled, held it in, then slowly let it out before doing it again. This was her favorite place in Malfoy’s suite. His shower.

But only when she was alone.

Regretfully she turned and eyed the collection of body wash and shampoos lining she shelves beside her. All of them were his.

Bergamot. Sandalwood. Mint...of course.

With a sigh she resigned herself to the fact that she was going to smell like him one way or the other and this was clearly the best option.

Everyday this entire charade got harder and harder. Grabbing a bottle of overpriced body wash at random with more force than necessary she squeezed a very generous amount on the loofa. Instantly she inhaled and let out a sigh.

She hated that she loved that smell. It was a smell that practically followed her around every nook and cranny of the suite, but even with the scents mingling together there was still something very tangible missing, something distinctly _unique_ to Malfoy alone.

She turned the water up as hot as she could bear, scrubbing her skin until it was red and raw trying desperately to wash away everything from last night. No matter how hard she scrubbed she could not wash away the feeling of being cheapened and used.

_Her choice. Ha! Like there was a single thing in this entire world that was her choice._

Her only choice was to play along to get what she needed. The only saving grace that it had actually been an enjoyable experience physically if she were being honest with herself. And gods the things those men could do to her body. She forced the memories back to the recesses of her mind and placed them in the precise little boxes they belonged in.

_No need to unpack those ever._

And Draco… her mind drifted to the blonde wizard as the sponge dipped lower down her abdomen. He alone had taken so much from her, forced so much upon her, and given to her all at the same time. A pair of gray eyes flashed across her mind when her hand brushed across her most sensitive spot, now swollen and needy at the thought of the man who demanded everything from her.

With a huff she threw the offending loofa to the floor and set to work on lathering her hair with shampoo. She took her time, not wanting to waste the chance to give her hair the proper attention it needed.

By the time she exited the bathroom the bedroom was indeed empty, bed made, and a fresh set of clothing had been laid out for her. The other thing she noted, aside from Theo’s absence, silence. For once it seemed something had finally gone her way and the married couple had finally stopped their torrent of devastation in the living area.

She dropped the towel without a second thought and walked over to the chaise where her clothes were laid. It was almost mechanical the way she put on her clothes and readied the rest of the way, brushing her hair and tying it up high in a ponytail. Again, she had been provided with her standard lounge wear, she presumed that meant she was staying until Malfoy told her otherwise.

The silence of the place was the type that fell upon you like a heavy blanket, almost suffocating in its complete soundlessness.

She supposed she had spent almost an hour getting ready, giving everyone more than enough time to handle their business and clear out.

Her feet padded across the room and out of the door. She made her way down the hallway passing her own bedroom, curios to see if she were truly alone. She peeked around the corner of the hallway to find Malfoy alone in the kitchen. His bare back was turned to her and she could practically see the tension coming off him in waves.

The living room, she noted as she crossed to the kitchen bar, had been repaired to its previous pristine state prior to Astoria’s unannounced arrival. Much to Hermione’s disappointment, she had been looking forward to seeing the destruction the witch had left behind.

Never taking her eyes off the wizard as he did whatever he was so focused on in front of her, she sidled into one of the bar stools. At first, she just watched the way his muscles moved rhythmically with whatever action he was performing, methodically, each taut line on his back bunching and flexing beneath pale skin. She then noticed how at some point it seemed that Malfoy had found the time to put on a pair of gym pants at least, she rested her hand on her fist dejectedly.

_Oh well._

She would simply to half to resign herself to creeping on him as he went on about his business topless. It was not exactly the worst view she had ever seen, by far. And as she watched she noted that with each rhythmic motion of his arms and shoulders the tension began to melt away before her eyes .But then the more she watched the more she began to squint her eyes at what he was doing, perplexed.

_Hold on. Was Malfoy scrubbing the dishes?_

“What are you doing?” she found herself blurting before she could stop herself, but the sight of Malfoy shirtless, in his own kitchen, scrubbing dishes was just too confounding.

If she had been hoping to startle him with her presence, she had been sorely mistaken. He didn’t even pause in what he was doing before he answered her in an even measured tone.

“Exactly what it looks like, Granger.” He faced her as he toweled off his hands. “The dishes.”

“I can see that. But what I don’t get is why?”

He shrugged before looking around the room and remembering that chaos that had ensued there less than an hour before.

“I find performing menial tasks calming, like the dishes. It helps me work out my frustrations in a productive manner.”

At yet another loss for words for the man that was Draco Malfoy, Hermione sat there and stared at him. She was done seeing through his cracks and crevices, that was because they no longer existed. Whenever they were alone

Malfoy no longer found the need to always keep up his walls and he had let her in.

Nodding her understanding, Hermione kept her poker face on, and she kept it on well. Things were constantly shifting and changing with the wizard. It was all she could do to balance precariously on her precipice.

“I’m sure young Poderic is none too pleased to have you cleaning on his watch.”

He scoffed with a lopsided grin that made Hermione’s heart stutter.

“Just who do you suppose got me all of these dirty dishes in the first place?” he playfully tossed the drying towel in her face catching her off guard, both physically and emotionally.

_She was walking a tightrope indeed._

But it seemed as though he had not allowed Astoria to ruin his mood this morning. For that at least she was grateful. She had learned long ago to count her even the small blessings.

“Poderic brought you dirty dishes to _clean_?”

Almost as though the tiny elf heard his name there was a loud POP and he appeared in the kitchen next to Malfoy, arms laden with more dirty dishes. Draco arched and eye at her, still with that stupid smile stuck on his face.

_Well, she stood corrected._

Poderick eyed her skeptically, before turning his massive green orbs to Malfoy.

“Is Master havings enough dishes?”

For the first time in her life Hermione heard Draco Malfoy laugh. Not a sneering, snicker or a chortle at someone else’s expense. No, this was a full bellied deep hearted laugh straight from his soul and may the heaven’s help her, but it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

Page after page, book after book, hour after hour, Hermione sat with Draco in his study going through all the research he’d collected trying to find something, anything that could lead them in some sort of direction. There was everything in front of them from potions to machine blueprints, but absolutely nothing at all seemed to be what they were looking for at the same time.

“This is absolutely hopeless.” She pressed her hands against her face trying to push back the pulsating headache that kept trying to creep its way to the forefront of her mind. “There is just so much here. I mean this, _‘Time travel was strictly regulated by the Department of Mysteries after Eloise Mintumble got sent back to 1402 from 1899. She was there for five days and when she returned, she aged decades, ultimately dying in St. Mungo’s._ ’”

“Ah, yes! Mintumble, but she _did_ come back did she not?” He eyed her pointedly.

“True, but you can’t really call that a success now can you?”

“Not in its entirety, no. But, it tells us that coming back is in fact possible. We just have to fix where she went wrong.”

“Mmhmm… well what do you have to say about this one then? This Doctor here says and I quote _‘People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.’_ ” She slammed the small blue book closed with finality. “Complete and utter nonsense!”

She looked up expectantly, waiting for Draco to have some sort of way to reason his way out of this one. But he just shrugged before taking a bite of an apple and swallowing while tossing it in the air and catching it again.

“I never claimed to know the answers to everything in here.”

His jovial mood only frustrated Hermione further. She twisted and errant curl around her finger as she thought. She needed something, if only she could get her hands on something physical.

“What I wouldn’t give to go back and get my hands on that time-turner again.”

Chunks of apple flew across the room as Malfoy struggled to collect himself.

“ _You_ had a time-turner? When?” Disbelief coated his every syllable.

“Third year.” If her nose lifted just slightly higher in the air at her declaration she hardly noticed, even if his eyebrows did ratchet up a notch. “It’s how I managed to make it to all of my classes. Without it I couldn’t have possibly kept up with the curriculum I mean no one can really be in two places at once. Professor McGonagall secured use of a time turner for me to use for that year so I wouldn’t be force to miss out on any subjects.”

The apple rolled out of his hand with a thud and onto the hardwood floors, just stopping at the edge of the rug before her. His face was a mask of bewilderment as if she’d just told him she was a magical genie and could grant him three wishes.

Not that that particular scenario wouldn’t be quite beneficial in this situation.

Of course, she was still rambling on about third year and the challenges her course load had possessed, when she finally trailed off as realization dawned on her. She never told him. She had just been so used to Ron and Harry, even Ginny, knowing these bits about her life that she had just never even thought to voice it to him out loud, to her it had been a given. When his face began to morph from complete befuddlement to bemusement and then finally to anger, she completely understood.

“You mean to tell me, this entire time we have been researching hearsay and theories about time travel and here _you_ are having experienced it yourself firsthand? And you _somehow_ failed to mention that!” He shouted so loudly she would be surprised if the people below them hadn’t heard.

Instantly Hermione’s training took over, triggering at his rage and that fact that it was once again directed towards her. She cast her eyes down submissively and folded her hands in her lap, every part of her she was sure to tuck as tight as she could against the chair. Be small and invisible, it was rule number two. Rule number one being of course always keep the patron happy.

For rule number one there was a potion. For rule number two, a charm.

There was a long list of rules, rules that her and Ginny typically did not follow, but with Malfoy being her official patron it seemed certain spell work was at play and Hermione was helpless to it.

In a sick and twisted way, it made sense though. Once a girl was officially locked into a patron then her odds of being put in harm’s way significantly increased, so of course there would be a charm to ensure that they followed all the rules they had set in place, even if the ones that were intended to keep you safe also served a more malicious double purpose.

A pair of knees clad in black sweatpants crouched down in front of her. She was not allowed to look up at him to read his expression, she was not allowed to raise her head at all in fact and couldn’t if she even tried. They were told it was safer this way, ‘Best not to risk provocation,’ Madame Forester’s favorite motto. Then she felt his hands on her hair followed by his lips.

“No, no, no, no, no…” he murmured against the top of her head. “No, Hermione, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I completely forgot. That’s no excuse.”

He tilted her face back breaking the spell with his own will. He tested her lips, a very slight touch, just the sweetest of apologies. His breath ghosted across her face as his eyes searched hers in concern, unsure of what lingering effects the spell may have left. Safety wasn’t exactly a priority when it came to keeping the girls in order, control was, even if he did the best he could.

He brushed his lips against hers again, willing a response. Finally, a flicker of life beneath him making him breathe a sigh of relief. Hesitantly at first, she tasted his lips with her own, unsure, slowly coming out of the confines of the spell. He pressed harder with his lips demanding, and she allowed him access almost without thinking, and he pushed magic into her, trying to add to her already rapidly depleting stores.

She had only had the charm used on her a few times before, all of them had been when she first got here, most in training, only a few some failed escape attempts after. That first time was a doozy, it really stole your breath to have you body seize up out of your control like that, it took most girls at least an hour to recuperate. That first year Hermione was coming out unscathed after her second go around. This time, while not as jarring as the first was easily right up there with the second, which had been only minutely less extreme for her, but she presumed fighting off any lingering effects was being made easier by the raw power she was now greedily consuming from Malfoy.

With a simple push of her hand she had him back on his arse, but before he could protest in true Malfoy fashion, she quickly followed climbing up his lap until she recaptured her lips with her own, forcing her way into the crevices of his mouth searching, demanding, and finding. The tether linked together, and Hermione pulled from her core, devouring his magical essence through their kiss.

His magic felt sharp and burning cold within her, wild and untamed, delicious in its intensity. She craved more and Draco pulled her closer only happy to oblige. He offered himself to her freely, allowing her to take as much as she wanted.

 _How much magical stores did he have to spare?_ She contemplated to herself as she felt her own magical core wind around his, coiling it into control, and using it to fuel the embers of her own. The magic trailed up her spine and through her limbs and crested at the top of her head causing her to let out a sigh of relief.

The world spun around her until she was the one on her back and Malfoy loomed over her, taking full control of depth and intensity of their connection. The magic still poured from him freely, overwhelming her senses. Last time he had merely given her a taste. This time, this time he as showing her just how much he could truly give to her. She moaned lost in the feeling, losing herself in where her magic ended and his magic began.  
His hips ground into hers, eliciting a like reaction as she arched into him, pulling down at his shirt trying to draw him in even closer. If there was a drug, Hermione had just had her second hit, and she was hooked.

Its name was Draco Malfoy.

Running his nose along hers he slowly pulled away, breath heavy against her face. His molten grey eyes locked onto her heated amber depths searching, for what she couldn’t be sure. What she did know was that no matter he hard he probed her mind he would never find it. Occlumency was one of the first tools she and Ginny had mastered upon their arrival.

“Better?” the words ghosted across her face and she could only hum and nod in approval. “Good. This,” He gestured between them, “we will resume later. But right now, I need you to tell me more about the time-turner Hermione. Can you do that?”

Eyes still closed, feeling the thrum of the magic coursing through her veins, she nodded again. She would tell him anything he wanted to know. She started her story from the beginning, explaining again how Professor McGonagall had obtained one for her with the explicit instructions that it was only to be used for classes.

“But of course, you know Harry, well knew him, so there was little to no chance that that was going to happen.” Her voice leaked its disdain as she remembered her own trip back in time, the were wolf, the dementors, Sirious, and that little rat Pettigrew.

“You mean to tell me Potter actually almost got kissed by a dementor and was forced to save himself by producing a fully corporeal Patronus in third year?”

“Yes.”

“Bullocks.” He waved his hand at her dismissively. “I have literally heard just about every story there is to have heard about time and even I’m not biting at this one Granger.”

A sly grin slowly spread across her face. “Didn’t you ever wonder what happened to that hippogriff you so despised?”

He shot an accusing glare at her. “You didn’t.”

“We did. Along with Sirius black… and Peter Pettigrew unfortunately.” She mumbled the last part as an afterthought.

“That damn bird nearly killed me!”

“A, it merely scratched you and b, you kind of deserved it.”

She innocently took a sip of her tea before scrunching her face in disgust and setting it down. Nothing was worse than cold tea.

“You made it back alright?”

“Well yes… in a sense, but we simply rode out the events of the timeline all the way back until the moment we left. So, when Harry and I left to go back in time the next go around we were already back in our proper place.”

“Effectively closing the time loop.”

“Precisely.”

She let out a sigh of relief once she knew Draco understood the issue with time-turners.

“Plus,” she added for good measure, “we all know you can’t go back more than a few hours at a time without dire consequences. But if I could get my hands on one just to rip it apart to see how the charms work, maybe we could study them and learn a similar method…”

“They have all either been destroyed or lost, _or_ …. perhaps we could hazard a go at the one that I know for certain Voldemort keeps in his private vaults at Gringotts.” Malfoy tapped his chin with saccharine charm.

“How has that happened?” The time-turners were kept guarded so securely in the Department of Mysteries it would have taken nearly an army to get to them.

“It was war sweetheart.”

He plunked himself into the nearest chair and appeared to be thinking through the situation. With a time-turner in her hands Hermione just knew she could unravel the complexities of time. Now could she solve them? That was yet to be seen. But if what Malfoy said was true, then there really was no hope in getting one any way. So even now it was still back to square one.

With Malfoy fixated out the window, she flung herself across the couch, too tired to even think about how to fix time any longer. She was tired of having to balance her dedication to the cause against her feelings towards the brooding blonde wizard staring out the window across from her. She was tired of fighting.

Hermione needed a break.

Draco gently shook her shoulder. Startling awake, she hadn’t realized that shed actually fallen asleep.

“Hey what is it?” Her arms stretched over her head languidly and she twisted on the couch, catching the way Malfoys eyes followed her every move.

“I’ve got to leave soon.”

At this she sat up, “Oh, alright.”

She knew the drill. Malfoy left and went on about his life and she returned back to her room down in the dollhouse.

“Calm down, I’m not leaving yet. I must wait for my contact to reach out to me. I am following a lead on both a wand and the lost time-turner.”

“What? That fast?”

“Granger, its as though you forget who I am.” Brow arched and pretend to be offended, he leaned away from her with his hand pressed dramatically against his chest.

“Oh, okay… I can go ahead and leave if that’s what you want.” Blearily she rubbed her eyes and made to get up, just as well, Gin would be wondering where she was soon enough.

“Actually Granger, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. It seems like that a lot of time wasted when you go back to the Dollhouse when I leave. I really think it would be best if you would stay here.”

She eyed him flabbergasted, she would say this was the last thing she had expected from him, but every time they turned a corner, he seemed to prove her wrong.

“If that is okay with you of course. I would only be away for a couple of days if all goes to plan.”

_Checkmate. Ginny would have to wait._

He was rambling. Draco Malfoy was nervous, and he was rambling, for her. She let him circle around his point several more time before she took pity on him. Honestly while she did miss the girls, she could not argue with the fact that her time was better sent here doing research.

Her fingers covered his soft lips, quieting him instantly.

“Alright, I’ll stay.”

He took a hold of her hand and laid a kiss against her palm, glancing up at her through thick hooded lashes.

“You’ll stay?”

He trailed from her palm, nipping at the sensitive skin of her wrist. Her body instantly reacted to his touch and she could feel the heat slowly building through her body.

“Yes.” The word came out a breathless jumble as Draco continued to tease his way up her arm with his tender kisses followed by gentle sucks and nips.

He could ask her to find a spell to recreate the moon and she would figure it out for him right now, and he knew it. She was putty in his hands, and she had this inkling feeling that he fully intended on keeping it that way.

Draco left early the next morning, leaving Hermione to her own devices in nothing more than her knickers and one of his button downs. Resounding herself to her fate Hermione set about to pulling a few different types of books out of the study. This time she piled the stack of books on the coffee table as well as her cup of tea before she set to work on an intriguing piece of ancient magic she’d stumbled across just a few day ago. All but forgotten by the rapid, and ludicrous series of events that had transpired around her. Now though, alone in Draco’s pristine white penthouse she could really give the tomb the attention it deserved.

The sun had made its way well over halfway across the unusually clear London sky when she first heard the familiar sound of someone at the door. After the usual resounding series of beeps the front door clicked open and Hermione looked up from her latest book on ancient runes, Rudiments in Runes: Bloodstone and Rune Casting to look towards the door. She could not help the sudden flood of excitement at his arrival, even if it had only been a few hours, and an early one at that. She had not been expecting him back for at least another day or two. As he’d requested, she had stayed while he left, deciding her time was best spent here in his penthouse doing research anyway. Sooner or later they were bound to come across something.

“Draco, back so soon?” Maybe they had gotten lucky and he had already been able to source a good lead on the lost time turner.

“Oh, Draco now is it?” a voice as sharp as glass cut through the room and Hermione instantly sprung to her feet.

“Astoria…why are you here?”

The blonde witch that stood on the step looking down into the living area cut a striking figure. Truly as Malfoy had said, she truly was an ideal Mrs. Malfoy. She was cold and clean. Everything about her told the story of a witch who dealt very little with nonsense and certainly hadn’t been throwing glass across the room just days before. Her dress robes had been specially tailored just for her and were even pressed just for the day. The light blue material hugging her in all the perfect ways so she looked as elegant and imposing as possible, hair piled high on her head in a chiffon bun, she would not enter a room without commanding it.  
Hermione could not tell if she had dressed up for the occasion or if this was how the woman always dressed.

She did not know if she should feel flattered or intimidated, which she guessed was part of her overall goal.

Setting her handbag down on the counter Astoria gave her a droll stare. “Why do you think? I’m here to talk with you of course. After all you are the proverbial elephant in the room.”

Blue pumps that matched elegant blue robes made their way down towards the chair across from Hermione before, with more grace than she could ever dream of possessing, delicately sat before her.

“Please, sit back down.” Her eyes traveled over the books and blankets sprawled across the couch she had been occupying just before the she had so rudely entered with total disgust. Hermione hoped the titles of the books were lost on her, if she moved to cover them now it would only draw attention to them. “I’d rather get this whole sordid thing over and done with, don’t you think that’d be best?”

To move things along, and away from further unwanted topics, she did as she was requested and took a seat in front of the prim witch, ever so eager to hear just what she had to saw.

“You’re sleeping with my husband.” The woman across from her stated meeting her dead in the eyes. It was not a question, the facts were quite obvious. “You’re sleeping with my husband and there is nothing I can do about it. I can’t keep him home, because he would rather be here, at this place, in bed with you and Merlin knows who else.”

Again, with that look of disgust. Hermione counted backwards from five, a trick she had learned for dealing with difficult clients in the past.

“But, I am sure, that as two reasonable witches you and I can come to some boundaries. Now I am aware that this isn’t exactly an ideal situation for either of us. You living in a proverbial sampling house, and I happen to be married to the Vigneron.”

Hermione started, “I’m not sure…”

“Aht. Not when I’m talking.” The witch waggled a finger in her direction with the reprimand and she gritted her teeth. “First, I want him home every night. He can come here, do whatever, but for appearances, I think it best that he return to the Manor at night. Afterall it is his home.”

“Okay, but Astoria…”

“No! Not. When I am talking, I said…” she lost control of her composure for only a moment before tucking it all back away into the proper nooks and crannies. Her hands worried down the front of her robes smoothing out any lines to perfection before finding the tiniest speck of lint and flicking it off her fingers thoughtlessly.

“Second, you will henceforth practice greater discretion.”

At Hermione’s blanched features Astoria outright laughed.

“Well dear, how did you think I knew where to find you all this morning, not to mention this is my club as well, or should I call it more of a sampling buffet? Any who, one of my little birdies sent an owl. You are, after all, the first of his offerings that he has taken any interest in ever.” Eyes darkening maliciously, she gave Hermione a cold once over, taking in her lack of pants and noting the fact that she was still wearing the same button down from earlier. “Of course, I just had to come and see for myself.”

If Astoria’s statement was meant to rattle her it certainly hit the mark. Someone in the lounge was feeding Astoria her information and seemed to waste no time in doing so.

Count to five. Deep breath in. They could handle this, she and Ginny just had to find out who it was and ensure somehow all information was isolated from them in the upcoming future. She just had to add this to the ongoing list of things she had to tell Ginny and fast.

“Emm hmm.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Third, I want you to report everything he is doing back to me.”

Hermione opened her mouth, but Astoria quickly held one single finger for silence.

“I want to know everything that goes on in this suite and you are going to be my eyes and ears up here, just like I have my eyes and ears down there. If you shall fail me, well… mudbloods aren’t exactly high on the pecking order, now are they?”

The cackle that followed sent chills down Hermione’s spine. While everything on the outside told the story of a well to do and well put together pure blood upper class lady, her laugh alone told the story of someone else entirely. She had heard a laugh like that only one other time before and the thought filled her instantly with ice cold dread.

“So do tell, aside from that sordid business you conduct, not that I approve of at all by the way, mind you, what is my husband up to in this penthouse of his?” The blonde woman leaned forward eagerly, her brown, nearly black eyes bore into her own, attempting to drill down to the very depths of her knowledge.

Hermione opened her mouth, to tell her about something the woman honestly would not want to hear. She figured she had plenty of ammunition to work with given how many nights and days she’d been with Draco by now, but no words would come out. She closed her mouth perplexed.

“Come one now, out with it then!” The blonde witches voice began to seethe.

Opening her mouth once more she tried to speak again, this time telling Astoria of the time she had made her husband cum simply using just the tip of her tongue alone, but alas to both their devastation there was no sound. The she remembered. As a retained doll, Hermione was not permitted to speak of what went on inside Draco’s suite to anyone outside. Of course, other certain staff, medi witches, management, and the other girls of course were exceptions to this rule. Not a single one of those even fit the description of Astoria Malfoy however in the slightest….

“Why can’t you see that I am trying to be so patient with you?”

Astoria stood up quickly and crossed to where Hermione was seated. She grabbed the back of her pony tail with one hand and jerked her head back, hard, most likely yanking out several chunks. She brought her face within inches of her own to stare her dead in the eyes.

“Why are you being this way?” She crooned sweetly, her tone belying the grip that she was using to force Hermione’s head back. “If you would just cooperate everything would be so much easier and we could all just play nicely.”

“I. Can’t.” She managed to gulp out from the strained position on her neck.

“What was that?” The tips of her nails dug into her cheeks. Red streaks of blood slowly began to stream down her face and to her exposed neck.

A diamond stud earring dangled directly in front of her face as Astoria made a show of turning to try to hear her better.

“I think we can do better.” She trilled.

Out of seemingly nowhere Astoria brandished her wand before Hermione’s face.

“Maybe he won’t want you so much anymore if you’re not as pretty?”

_Oh, Great Merlin! This witch is completely mental._

She couldn’t move. Hermione sat frozen in terror. Everyone knew that to be a muggle born and to ever physically or magically strike out against a pureblood meant an instant death sentence. She literally had no choice but to sit here and take whatever Astoria threw at her unless she could somehow make her see reason.

“The charms.” She gasped. Astoria’s wand tip glowed white as she drew it closer to her cheek. “It’s the charms. I can’t do anything because of the house charms.”

“Oh.”

The wand disappeared just as quickly as it came out and the psychotic witch released her grip on Hermione’s ponytail and face, going back to her chair entirely. Just like that, back was the calm, composed, and collected Mrs. Malfoy.

“Well why didn’t you just say so to begin with?”

“I hadn’t realized…” she ran her hand back and forth soothingly across her throat, smearing her hands red in the process.

“Well that just wasn’t very bright of you now was it? You nearly lost an eye. And Merlin knows what else.” She scolded Hermione for her own almost actions as she tsked the current state of her.

No longer knowing how to respond to this woman Hermione decided silence was the best way to handle her until prompted to do otherwise. As subtly as she could she scooted a little further away from her on her own couch, increasing the distance between them.

The situation had escalated from bothersome to potentially deadly in a mere matter of minutes. Then not to mention the fact that she was there entirely alone and unattended and for who knew how long. Technically Astoria could have killed her, and it could have been days before Malfoy found her. It wasn’t as though Ginny owled when she was in his suites. It could be days before anyone even bothered to go looking for her.

“Look dear, you look like a nice girl. But, I’m just not going to have my husband off gallivanting around with some nobody mudblood trollop all across town. I simply won’t hear of it. Things will go back to the way they were before. I trust that you’ll see to it.” The look she had given Hermione told her she had better agree or else there would be hell to pay. Unfortunately for Astroria, she was not her patron, and patron/doll privileges did not extend to spouses and partners for this very reason.

Besides, who was she to call her, Hermione Granger, the last surviving member of the Golden trio a nobody. This woman really did have no idea who she was, even though she was only a few years below her at Hogwarts.  
Seemingly satisfied with the afternoon’s conversation, as one sided as it may have been, Astoria Malfoy stood from her chair, grabbed her Hermes bag and proceeded to make her way towards the front door.

Right when she thought she was in the clear and was going to let out a sigh of relief she felt Astoria’s voice cut like a whip across her entire being.

“Oh, and Hermione, dear? I will have my husband back. One way or another.” Tapping he finger on her chin she pretended to ponder before a slow and wicked grin spread across her rosy red lips. “Maybe next time I’ll ask Auntie Bella for some advice on how to keep you in line. She seemed to be quite good at it if I recall.”

All color drained from her face and her stomach fell to the floor at the mere mention of that dreaded witches name. That was the only, and she meant only, good thing about being placed in this gilded cage. Bellatrix LeStrange could not get to her in there. Well that had been up until she had learned Astoria had open access to the suite and could very well bring anyone here that she damned well pleased.

The blonde which decked out in cerulean blue from head to toe turned the corner then. Hermione didn’t dare move, didn’t dare breathe until she heard the door shut behind her followed by the sound of her footsteps fading away.

Faster than she thought she could move Hermione gathered all of her belongings from the couch and dashed back to the sanctuary of Malfoy’s hidden study. Using the couch nearest the door she pushed it against the wall before going to her favorite chair and curling up in a ball and shaking.

_Mudblood._

The ugly word was still etched into her at the courtesy of dear old Auntie Bella, that and residual frequent muscle spasms from the amount of the Cruciatus curse she had endured under that mad witch’s wand. For hours Hermione had screamed, refusing to break, all the while Bellatrix cackled with glee, screamed at her, or both, but Hermione had refused to give up Harry. Eventually she had been rescued by Harry, who somehow had managed to disarm Malfoy, and Ron, and of course that was also the day they lost Dobby. He saved so many. He was truly the bravest elf she had ever known.

Sniffling, that gave her an idea.

“Poderic.” Even though she barely breathed his name she heard the all too familiar POP announcing the elf’s arrival.

“Yes Miss?”

“Poderic…” her eyes traveled around the room to the windows, the door, and the fireplace, any way someone may be able to break in and get to her. Even here she had to be sure. “Could you make it so no one can enter or leave this room other than you, myself or Draco?” She paused and the added on, “Please.” For good measure.

Brown ears flopped as the little elf nodded and waved his finger in a circular motion around the room, tracing over it several times

“Pod was seeing what the mean Mrs. was doing to the nice Miss. It made Pod very angry.” The little elf furrowed his brow before her. “But Master has giver Pad strict orders to not be seen by the mean Mrs.,” he looked into

Hermione’s eyes, his own glistening with unshed tears. “Pod is sorry he could not help the Miss.”

“No, Pod.” She reached out to touch the tiny creature on his hand. “you are helping me so much now. Pod will you stay with me? Until Master comes back?”

The little elf nodded his head vigorously and set about preparing the room for Hermione to stay in until Malfoy’s return. True to his word Poderic stayed with her day in and day out, only leaving her side to get her food and when she had to go to the bathroom. Other than that, he kept her company while she tried to distract herself with more research on time travel.

At night the little elf would curl into Hermione’s side on the bed he’d transfigured out of some of the sofas, and in turn she would wrap her arms around him protectively from the horrible world outside. And that is exactly how Draco found them three days later when he returned from his trip chasing down several leads, only one of them turning up anything even remotely useful. The time-turner was easy enough to ask about, it was the contraband wand that made most wizards balk, especially when they noticed just who _exactly_ he really was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finally some headway! Again, I love your feedback so please keep it coming. Also, if anyone is actually listening to the songs as they are coming to you and ever have one the fits the feel, I am totally down for additional song recs! I hope you guys enjoyed the wrecking ball that is Astoria Malfoy 😉


	7. Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> Myself
> 
> I'm better by myself  
> I'm better by myself  
> I don't need no one else  
> I'm better by myself
> 
> Myself
> 
> Self
> 
> I don't know who to trust  
> These days everyone's shady  
> Fool me once, I'm on my own  
> There is no second time, baby  
> That's the shit I don't like  
> Please no yes, no maybes  
> What else?
> 
> I'm better by myself  
> I'm better by myself  
> I don't need no one else  
> I'm better by myself - Muzzi

Hermione woke with a start, that uneasy feeling that she was no longer alone with the little elf snoring beside her in the room. But she did not move, nor did she dare open her eyes. Trying to keep her breathing slow and rhythmic, mimicking that of the tiny body pressed snuggly against her, she listened intently for whatever had disturbed her sleep.

Rustling paper, ever so gently, not too different from the sound of a page being turned in a book.

Someone was in there with them. She knew that for sure. Her anxiety skyrocketed as she tried to determine what to do next.

She lay their focusing on her breathing trying to think of ways to get them both out safely. As it was it did not sound like the person was sitting too far off from where they were lying asleep.

“Stop pretending to still be asleep, I already know you’re awake.”

The sound of the wizard’s voice behind her had her flying into an upright position and turning to face him.

“Malfoy…” her voice was hardly a breathless whisper. All the adrenaline had yet to stop coursing through her body. “When did you get back?”

“Better question.” The blonde wizard snapped his book shut and strode over to her crouching down to examine her closer. “Who did this to your face?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really.” She attempted to change the subject, “Did you have any luck?”

“It certainly looks like something.” He squinted at Hermione for a moment longer before really taking in the state of the room around them. In no way was it messy, but it most definitely looked a tad bit more lived in than usual.

“Hey Pod.”

“Yes master?” the little elf yawned and rubbed at his eyes. Turning to find his master still studying the witch on the makeshift bed next to him,

“Who did this to Hermione while I was away?”

At this Pod glanced over to her apologetically. “It was the mean mistress master, Storia.”

“Astoria was here?” he looked her in the eyes in question.

She gave a slight nod. Not really having any other choice.

“And what did she want?”

“You, for the most part.”

“Uh huh,” Draco rubbed his chin eyeing her face before reaching out and touching each of her wounds gently. “And the other part?”

“Information.”

Humorlessly, Draco rolled his eyes. Hermione was getting the picture of an extremely rocky marriage, and she was no longer sure who was to blame.

He instructed Poderick to retrieve a medi-kit and the little elf popped out of the room.

“I am terribly sorry that she did this to you Hermione. It will not happen again. I swear to it.” He steadily met her eyes until she gave him a single nod in understanding.

“Alright let’s get you up and taken care of.” Malfoy took her small tan hand in his larger pale one and led her out of the office and down to her bathroom.

Wrapping his hands around her waist he gently lifted her and placed her, so she was sitting on the ledge of the sink, with her back towards the mirror. He stood between her legs their faces only inches apart as he inspected and cleaned the scratches Astoria had left behind.

Shaking his head, he mumbled something to himself.

Hermione was just about to ask what he was thinking about when Pod popped into the bathroom carrying the kit full of medical potions and salves.

With an astute and steady hand, Draco reached for one vial after another, applying each one systematically with a very deft hand.

“You’re oddly good at this.”

He put one potion down and in between applications his hand came to rest on her thigh. She tried to ignore the jolt that the heat of his touch sent straight to her core. She tried to blame it on simply not seeing him for a handful of days.

A grunt. “Lots of practice. Good news you shouldn’t scar.”

Clearly, she was not having the same effect on him. Hermione focused on her breathing and not how good the way the man simply inches away from kissing her smelled.

_Keep it together._

“Oh.” Well that was a plus at least.

Her breath fanned across his face when she spoke and he paused taking stock of their proximity, his hand poised above her cheek. The way his thighs brushed right against her bare ones.

When he looked up, she could see the intimate knowledge that if he pulled her a few centimeters closer to the edge they would be in complete contact with one another. She felt her own arousal fan as she watched his eyes heat.

Ever so slowly he brought his face closer to hers, pausing in the air space around her to take in the entirety of the scene before him one more time.

Her on the sink nearly bare assed, legs practically wrapped around him, and only a few thin strips of fabric between them. He started to breathe heavier his excitement growing more palpable.

He focused once more on her lips and Hermione closed her eyes anticipating the moment his warm lips would touch hers, but a rap sounded on the window instead. The owl at the window abruptly ending the moment.

Hermione warred with a sinking feeling of disappointment as Draco’s attention turned away from her and to owl consistently pecking away at the window.

“That’s Astoria’s owl.” Draco grumbled making his way over to the window to receive the missive.

Hermione watched from her place, abandoned on the sink, as he took the scroll from the bird before he unraveled and read it over a few times prior to shaking his head in dismay. Curious she almost asked what was in the letter, but still knew not to overstep certain bounds. Astoria _was_ still his wife.

“I’ve got to go see Astoria. Something is going on and I don’t know what it is.” He turned from her and started to make his way out of the bathroom. “I’ll call for you whenever this is all sorted out.”

_Oh! Okay._

She knew her dismissals when she heard them.

Malfoy wasted no time leaving her behind in the suite. He promptly put on his coat and stepped into the fireplace, flooing directly to Malfoy manor.

_Well then… she guessed when the wife came calling._

Hopping off the sink Hermione was just about to shut the bathroom door when she saw the partially rolled piece of parchment on the floor. With no one there to see her she didn’t see the harm in taking a peek.  
Her eyes instantly narrowed in on the words. Draco may not have known what this letter was about, but she did entirely.

When Hermione walked into the girl’s den complete and utter chaos erupted around her. The bodies pressed in around her grabbing and demanding answers. Hermione was not even going to have a moments breath to prepare for the task at hand. Lucky for her she was extremely quick to think on her feet.

_It was not as though they didn’t call her the brightest witch of their age for a reason._

_“Say it isn’t true!”_ _“Hermione you have got to save us.”_ _“What are we going to do?”_ Question after question railroaded her, throwing her off her senses. She was still trying to sort everyone out when a sudden silence descended the group.

A flash of red hair and the girls parted the crowd allowing Hermione her first sight of Ginny in days. Her green eyes were aflame and livid as she stood with her fists poised on her hips. Behind her Pavarti stood nearby offing her support, though not quite as sure of herself Hermione noted. She could practically feel the fury blasting off Ginny from where she stood a mere ten feet away.

“Go on, tell them!”

“Tell them what exactly?” Hermione asked slowly and carefully. Surely Ginny, her most trusted friend and confidant, had not betrayed her trust. She began to narrow her eye at the other witch.

“Tell them everything you told me. Tell them why we are really here Hermione!” Her beloved friend practically shouted at her across the room. Hermione felt something begin to coil low in her gut.

_That bitch._

One simple thing. She only had to follow one simple thing, and here we are finally getting somewhere!

_She should have known better, she only had herself to blame really, but still…_

Eyes still narrowed at Ginny she smirked at the red head who was literally flaming from head to toe.

“Oh, you mean this?” And she wordlessly and wandlessly, crafted a ball of blue energy in her hand. She watched in satisfaction as everyone’s jaw, including Ginny’s, practically hit the floor.

She had been practicing. Ever since her encounter with Astoria she noticed the magic creeping closer to the surface. It had become easier to manipulate and control. It had started out as just a few sparks between her fingers then gradually a small glowing orb in the palm of her hand. It was her raw magical energy, having been pulled from her core and having nowhere to go, it began to manifest physically. She, of course, had not told Malfoy of this development.

While yes, Hermione did not have a wand, she lobbed the orb across the room shattering a vase and leaving a scorch mark on the wall behind it, she was now still able to pack a punch.

Gasps surrounded her at her display of magical power. The girls surrounding her in complete dismay as to how she had gotten her magic back but was still wearing magic inhibiting brand.

It was something she would never forget, as one by one they were all filed into a room, bare and shivering in the dungeon-like hall. One by one they had been pulled forward and held down on a table, then one of the worst things that could happen to a witch, to any magical being really happened. They locked their magic away. With an archaic spell and rune branded into their sides they had been effectively neutralized.

Until now.

Now she had magic back, and if she were correct she may be able to teach them to replicate the process. It wouldn’t work with all the girls if her theories were correct of course, but anyone else was better than none.

“Ladies, I got my magic back.” She cocked her head to the side meeting the green eyes across the room in challenge, “Is that what she told you?”

_She bet the nosey bint left that part out._

One eyebrow lifted in Ginny’s direction at the silence that stifled the room. Everyone was still in shock at her demonstration just moments before. She continued making her way through the now silenced and officially manageable hoard of terrified women. She crossed the room, making a point of directly passing by Ginny without so much as a sideways glance and climbed to the fourth step before turning to face them all.

Looking out she saw such a mix of faces, some she grew up with, passing down the hall at school, others had been rounded up from other parts of the area, several girls from Beaux Batons, and even more that came from places that she couldn’t fathom how they had landed in Voldemort’s clutches. But here despite what once used to make them all different, their skin, hair, eyes, and even language, they were all the same. They were all one and maybe Ginny had had something to it in telling them she decided as she looked down on their scared eyes as they looked back up at her, with something akin to hope.

She sighed. It was always her.

_Always._

“Yes. What Ginevra has presumably said is true.” Another round of gasps of shock and outrage filled the room. “But seeing as I was not here, I was not privy to the information that was shared.” She gave another pointed, heated look in her _friend’s_ direction.

Surveying the room once again, this time resonating power across them, using her will to help subdue the situation at hand. Ginny may have done some major damage, but this was still a game and Hermione had still not showed all of her cards yet.

“Gin…” Green eyes flashed to hers in surprise, the last thing she had expected was to be called out directly in such a genuinely concerned tone.

_Ginny always forgot to play._

“Can you go ahead and fill me in on what I missed while I was away?” All the other girls would defer to the redhead, she was, after all, the proverbial second in command.

To her credit, as Hermione knew she would, Ginny did not balk down from the challenge. Squaring her shoulders, she met Hermione’s glare with a burning one of her own. The tension radiating between the two witches was enough to probably make the other girls want to flee the room alone, had it not been for the subject at hand.

“I informed them about the truth behind the night of the gala, what happened to the missing girls and where the actually went. I also let them know that this is the fate of us all unless we find a way out of here.” Ginny then turned to meet the eyes of as many of the girls around her as she could, trying to sway them to the imaginary line in the sand that had been drawn between them. “They had just as much right to as we did. Their situation is no different than ours!”

At her last declaration she earned her nods of agreement and Hermione saw a few eyes flash in suspicion in her direction.

“Well maybe not yours, considering you never have to stay the night here anymore if you don’t want to, do you Hermione?”

_Ah, Ginny had come out to play after all._

No matter, this only made the game more interesting. It had been a while since she had had to put someone back in their place, yet alone it had never been her closest friend before. But she had been prepared for this, she had seen the signs coming. The little tells of envy, all the while not realizing what Hermione was really going through. Even if she gathered more girls to her side, she could not win. She had nothing to offer them, and Hermione, well, she now had everything. The growing number of glares could come all they wanted, none of it made a difference, just like none of them were willing to go out and make a real difference. Not like she was.

“Why didn’t you want us to know, Hermione?” Pavarti, ever Ginny’s trusted sidekick. She probably could not have been happier when Hermione had started getting called away to Malfoy’s side more and more frequently.

“It is not that I did not want all of you to know. Of course, you all needed to know, to which Ginny and I had even come to an agreement.” Pulling Ginny back in to back her story, she looked to her and paused waiting for her confirmation, as reluctant as it may have been given.

“I just wanted to ensure I had all the facts before coming to you, and I wanted a plan of action to give you.”

“And yes,” she started.

_One step down._

“I do spend most of my time away now.”

_Step two._

“And every time I come back.”

_Her foot connected with the last step._

“I come back with more than any witch had brought back before”

Upon reach the floor she crossed the room to stand before Ginny and Pavarti, but along the way she continued to elaborate.

“I have returned with information of who owns us, the truth about what happened that night at the gala, and the fact that there is something going on in the background trying to help.”

Stopping before the two witches who watched her with calculating eyes, she brought her hand up to allow an orange orb to hover in the air above her fingertips.

“Not to mention I brought back magic.” She cocked her head and studied the two of them inquisitively, pausing as though giving herself time to think over her next question. “What exactly have the two of you ever returned with?”

_Checkmate._

Cruel calculation passed before both of their eyes as both witches, wisely, declined to answer. With their eyes down turned, Hermione turned to face the rest of the group, their faces wavering, fear still evident, but the anger fading away to small flickers of hope on the faces of some and a newly found determination on others. Some, just over the situation in its entirety, chose to walk out of the room, unsurprisingly Cherry’s group being one of them.

With that having been handled Hermione took her usual place in the oversized chair nearest to the fireplace, knowing the remainder of the girls would follow. Ginny would of course still take her usual seat on the chair directly across from her, this way they could always watch each other’s backs if need be. Pavarti always chose to sit on a floor cushion strategically placed between the two witches, back towards the fireplace. They never had a blind spot, except for when Hermione was not there. She felt a pang of regret, but quickly reminded herself of what she was doing, and doing for them all.

Everything was officially set in place for what she needed to tell them, and the ones she needed to tell were the ones who had remained.

Nodding towards Ginny she started. “As I said earlier, what Ginny has told you all is true. But losing our heads is not going to help us in a time like this.” She tried to meet as many of them with the sternest look she could give. “If we are going to survive, we have to remain calm and most of all _undetected_. If this is something you feel like you cannot do, I am going to ask you to leave the room now.”

She paused. Waited. Not a single girl looking back at her made a single move. She knew most if not all that had made it to this point were strong and resilient, but this, this would be one of the largest trials the had yet to face. This was going to require quite a lot of cooperation to pull off what Hermione had planned, and that meant they would have to trust each other implicitly.

“From this point forward anything that is said within these four walls does not leave them. That includes not sharing with the girls who already left. If you aren’t in now you aren’t in ever.”

Pavarti produced a parchment much like the one Hermione had used back for DA, only this one had much dire consequences. Their lives were at stake, possibly even Malfoy’s.

Silver gray eyes flashed across her mind along with a slight pang of guilt.

One by one the girls lined up to sign their name to the parchment, not a single witch asked what the punishment would be. Not a single one cared, nor was she concerned in the slightest. The three women watching could not be prouder of the bravery of the women filing before them. After all the trials they had been through during and after the war, the horrors many of them still faced on a daily basis, and knowing what their futures held, they still were willing to stand and do anything that was possible to help save each other.

 _This,_ Hermione thought, _these witches willing to stand with her were worth risking everything for._

_Platinum hair and a perfect smile._

Again, she felt the slight pang of betrayal, somewhere deep down in her gut. This betrayal would be huge, it would not go unnoticed, neither unpunished.

_But they were everything, and she would stand for them._

The last time Hermione had stood at this door with this much trepidation had been the very first day _Dublin_ had so rudely pulled her from the stage mid dance. That moment had changed her life from that moment on. It was like a fuse had been lit and everything was burning around her towards some cascading end, one that she was beginning to realize she may have extraordinarily little control over. Her heart was nearly pounding out of her chest and she had yet to muster up the courage to actually open the door, or even reach for the handle for that matter.

_What would happen if she turned and left? What if she just went back to her room and ignored his summons? What would the worst thing be that he could do?_

_Breathe. Just Breathe._

Thoughts and images raced through her head of all the various possibilities of the things that Draco may do, just to punish her.

_How far would he go this time?_

Steeling herself she took a deep breath and reached for the knob and pulled. Her hand only trembled slightly, but her legs carried her steady into the room.

Malfoy stood with his back to her, his elbow raised against the wall as he leaned and looked out the wall of glass. A glass of fire whisky hanging in his other hand.

She watched him watch her approach in the reflection.

His eyes were cutting and cold.

Her heart stuttered.

_This was it. This was the moment he would figure everything out._

_Breathe in._

“Princess,” she watched as he brought the glass of whisky up to his lips, “so glad you decided to grace me with your presence.”

_Long, quiet exhale._

“Not that I really had a choice, did I?” She held her head high. She knew he could forcibly make her bend to his will as part of the contract, but until he pulled that into play, she would not be weak. She was done having him push her around, and this time it was just her and him: no Theo in sight.

He tossed her his trademark smirk from school, which was more of a sneer mixed with a snarl if anything, she had always thought.

“There is always a choice, Princess.”

Cold steel eyes met heated amber ones through the glass in a challenge of wills. The anger and betrayal radiating from him was almost enough to make her break right there on the spot, but she would never let him know. She stood tall and looked him dead on, refusing to be the  
one to speak first, watching as the anger only boiled beneath his surface.

When he finally broke the silence, it was with one word, but it was the one word she did not know how to answer.

“Why?” It was a quiet, heavy demand. It was louder than if he had shouted it at her from across the room.

She paused. Stammering, she had anticipated this question, but nothing she had come up with in her mind seemed like the right thing to say in front of the wizard standing in a rage in front of her. Each explanation she had come up with seemed more convoluted than the last or gave too much away for the girls. In the end, for once, Hermione Jean Granger, did not know the right answer for once.

Unfortunately.

Glass shattered on the wall behind her. Malfoy, eyes ablaze and fuming, stormed over to the insubordinate witch, sans his glass of whisky.

“Why would you disobey me like that Granger?” He snarled at her, invading her space and backing her into the wall, glass crunched beneath their feet.

She could smell the fire whisky on his breath as he closed in, breathing in her air. She could feel her panic rising, she looked towards the exits and halls, and contemplated if she could make it to her bedroom before he caught her. Maybe if she blasted him with a little magic first.

Her eyes turned back to the wizard who was watching her desperation with a sick look of pleasure. It told her she would not be going anywhere, he would make sure of that, of that Hermione was sure.

“I told you implicitly not to tell anyone what you knew. What I allowed you to know.” Seething he glared down at her through slitted eyes. “Now. I. Want. To. Know. Why!” He slammed both of his hands against the wall next to her head, just close enough to make her jump.

Her pulse quickened at the realization that he essentially had her caged in. Feeling trapped she felt her panic begin to rise again, and she focused on her breathing as the wizard in front of her raged on.

“And of course, it had to be Astoria of all people who had to tell me the news, it couldn’t have just been one of the house elves for Merlin’s sake! No, it had to be the wife who just could _not_ wait to tell me how my _‘prized mudblood whore’_ was running around leaking information behind my back!”

The panic stopped. She felt herself settle and calm, resolving herself for whatever fate may come her direction. Regardless of what she did or said here, she highly doubted much would change the outcome. She stood at a light shining through the glass just past the side of his head. Switch by switch she shut down each emotion and feeling, locking down preparing herself for what was to come.

He leaned in and grabbed her chin, cruelly squeezing right where Astoria had left marks of her own days before, triggering a raging fire inside of her. Again, he sneered, “Why?”

“Because you can’t own me.” The words were a quiet slip of the tongue. She had not meant for them to tumble out nor had she even realized she had been thinking them, but it seemed one switch had yet to be flipped.

“Excuse me? I’m not quite sure I heard you correctly.” Head tilting to the side he eyed her queerly, as though she had just grown a second head, but his voice still held just as much menace as it had before.

Anger bubbling over Hermione jerked her jaw out of his hand.

_Never again!_

“You. Can’t. Own. Me.” She spoke each word slowly and deliberately, if not a tad loud as well.

She pushed him hard on his shoulders shoving him away from her, but he hardly budged. Instead he simply laughed, mirthlessly.

“I hate to break it to you Princess, but I kind of do.” Crouching down he chased her head until she was forced to hold his gaze. “And not only do I own you, but I own all of your little friends too…for now at least. It would serve you well to remember that.”

She narrowed her eyes at his threat. “You can’t own human beings, Malfoy.”

He rose back to his full height making her follow his eye with the tilt of his finger on her chin. “I allow you everything you have. It is by my grace that you _all_ live the way you do.” He narrowed his eyes into slits, “I _could_ end it. I _could_ turn this club into an operation run more like the other establishments of its ilk.”

“No matter what you did you could never control me entirely Malfoy, I will always have my own will.” She spat up at him. He could bring on his punishments, the girls’ plan was solid enough. If enough of them could learn how to pull magic from their patrons, they could create their own little battle cell and get out of here.

When Malfoy had not been around, she had spent some time researching the spells he had used to override the magic inhibiting brand that had been burned into her skin upon her categorization into the “of use mudblood” classification. After a few days of digging she had uncovered the exact ancient ritual he had spoken of, the only issue was there had to be at least some sort of emotional connection there for the spell to work. All the girls could try to reach out with their magic, but if a patron were unreceptive to them then there was going to be no exchanging of power. But they only needed a few, just a few.

“Oh, is that so?”

Too late, she felt his fingers twine in her hair. She fought back the yelp when he pulled her hair hard, leading her in front of him, through the living area, down the hall, and into his bedroom, the entire time her mind was racing, trying to think of potential ways to over power him.

Escape was no longer an option until he was no longer an obstacle.

“Do you know what the other ones are like?” He pulled her body back against him roughly. “The other auction houses?”

Hermione felt herself suck in a breath at his open use of the phrase. How cold and callous? To call the place where other witches, humans lived until… until…

Her mind trailed off because he forcefully tugged her hair first to the left then to the right and then back again. Shaking her head “no” for her.

_He was such a bloody prick._

“Well let me enlighten you.” He traced his wand down her black satin blouse, magically popping off the buttons and exposing her black lace covered breasts. He hummed appreciatively, “I knew that was a good decision, making standard black lace the basic issued under garment set. You really do fill out it so nicely.” His hot breath ghosted across her ear causing chills to race down her spine. “See at a different auction house you wouldn’t have this shirt,” he traced his wand down the back seam of her skirt slicing it open as well allowing it to fall to the floor, “you would not have this.”

She cringed as she felt his hand harshly groping and grabbing at her. It was almost laughable how quickly the situations could change from one morning to an evening. In fact, she probably would laugh if she could, but the damned wizard had yet to let her hair free and she was too busy trying not to wince.

“Hmm, well you most definitely wouldn’t have these.” Deciding to opt for sheer force Malfoy first ripped her bra away from her chest, which he quickly followed with tearing away the black lace knickers, leaving her completely exposed before him.

She stumbled only staying upright by his hold upon her head and laughed dismally.

“Don’t you think its funny Malfoy that you always seem to get me down to nothing but my shoes. I wonder if that’s your true kink?”

He jerked her back roughly and snarled in her ear. Hermione felt her skin crawl.

“They would put you in a cell, maybe it’d have a bed, maybe a toilet if you’re lucky…” he flattened his hand on her chest hand ran it down the front of her. “If you are in one of the real lucky ones, you will get a gown to wear, oh well let us call it what it really is, an over sized jumper. That is how you would stay,” he pressed her against him, “until they lined you up for auction for an offering. In a small room, hardly clothed, hardly fed, and all alone…until you’re not alone any longer.”

The moment his hand loosened in her hair she jerked away, turning on the spot to face him. Her breaths coming out in rapid gulps. She looked at the way he eyed her, almost curiously, like he could not possibly fathom what she would try to do next.

“That is absolutely abhorrent!” What he had just described was sick and disgusting and so vile that she had wanted to vomit right then and there.

“Precisely why you need to be grateful, witch!”

“Grateful!?” Hermione balked at the audacity. Her enslaver telling her to be grateful. Grateful for being put on display, for being used as a sex object, for being treated as less than human since the war.

“Yes, grateful! You practically have it made here.”

She could not stop her hand from flying out and striking him in the face. The contact stung and she partly regretted the action for that fact alone, but the fiery blaze in his eyes when his gaze returned to meet hers was enough to make her blood run cold, or it would be if she had  
given a shit that day.

“Who are you to tell me how grateful I should be? Your life is golden, your blood pure.” She spit the last word out with so much acridity and venom that she could taste it. “Here we are Draco, and we both know I was the better wizard, stronger.”

“For fuck sake Granger! What else do you want me to do?”

“Not be a Deatheater.” The retort flew from her mouth and she watched as it landed home right on its mark. His face looked like she had slapped him, but only for a split second before he slipped his mask back on.

“Well, too damn late for that Princess. That is what I am and not only that, but…” Malfoy trailed off, his eyes looking away in irritation, leaving his sentence left unsaid.

“But what Malfoy?”

“Lay off it Granger.”

“But… but what Malfoy. But you own me? Was that it? Are we back to that again?”

Hermione took two steps back putting more distance between them. She looked him up and down, daring him to not answer her.

“Fuck Granger, yes! That is exactly it! I. FUCKING. OWN. YOU!” He shouted finally. Irate and flushed he closed the distance between them in one step of his own, staring her down.

Magic like electricity danced around her head at her will, a simple display, before she called it down her shoulder and to her fingertips where she shaped it into a ball. She tossed it in the air and caught it again looking at him smugly. As far as he were aware, she had only been able to do small things up to this point, trivial really, lights, _accioing_ fruits and dishes, stupid things really.

_This he had not seen._

He eyed her blue ball of magic warily but did not budge. Instead he cocked his crooked grin and looked back up at her. “You really want to have a go at this Granger?” He flicked his wand out silently, a display of his own. A warning that she was currently outmatched.

She reached up with the hand glowing blue with energy and stroked along his jaw, only releasing enough power to make his hairs stand on end.

“You would already be dead by now.” She cooed condescendingly.

Growling he grabbed both of her hands and pulled her to him.

With a glare she let more power go enough to sting just a bit, but he just gritted his teeth and bore deep into her eyes, refusing to let go of his hold of her.

“Damn it, Hermione what is it that you want?” He half shouted half snarled in her face.

“I want out!” she screamed finally at a loss for what else to say. “I want us all out. And by any means necessary.” She finished a little quieter a little more subdued.

Malfoy just stared into her eyes again, searching her depths, looking and reading. He was always trying to find her hidden truths, the things he knew she was never going to say, but that was just the way of it. She had a loyalty to them, he was a bystander, a way to a potential means.

Her heart twinged.

“Any means necessary.” It was a declaration of clarification, not a question.

Hermione nodded. “Any means.”

“Okay.”

Hermione froze. Slow and startling recognition gradually taking over.

“What?”

“I said okay.” The anger left his eyes, and he shrugged his shoulders, “Now we have a better understanding of each other.”

“And you, you’re just going to take that? You couldn’t possibly…” Her sentence was cut off by a pair of lips colliding down with hers.

He allowed the kiss to linger before slowly pulling away. He looked her in the eyes again this time in question. “We have a better understanding now?”

All she could do was nod stupidly. How had she misjudged this? Draco truly cared for her and her wellbeing. She thought back on their past few times together and while sure some moments could get misconstrued, really… he had been letting her lead it all lately hadn’t he?

“We have an understanding.” She reached for his shirt and tore it open before using its remains to bring his lips crashing onto hers.

He was giving her both worlds.

And she was allowing herself to have them. She was allowing herself to have _him._

Draco met her back with a passion that Hermione could only describe as soul shattering. He delved into her mouth deepening their kiss until she could feel the little tendrils of his magic, but this time they were a little different. This time the magic showed her flashes of images.

Images of her, memories. His memories of her she quickly realized.

He showed her the first time he came to start to respect her, which incidentally was the moment she punched him in third year. He showed her herself at the Yule ball with Krum and the feeling of jealousy he did not quite understand. They started coming faster then more of her at school, snippets of him watching her when no one was looking. Fantasies he began to have of her. Then to when she would dance at the club, and he would watch. He would watch all the time.

Hermione had never felt sexier than she did seeing herself through his eyes, and every memory where she had turned him on in some way had only added fuel to her fire. By the end of the barrage she was completely drenched.

She needed him inside of her, desperately.

She continued to pull at him until they reached his bed where he lifted her with ease and placed her on the surface before crawling over her. There was a rush, a hurriedness, a total hunger Hermione had not known she had felt for the wizard above her until just now. If the first time she had given in just a little bit had been because he had offered hope. This time it was because he was a haven, sanctuary, and to some extent a partner. Someone she could now rely on.

They both watched, breathe intermingling as she worried at the buttons on his pants, before undoing his zipper and sliding them down his hips eagerly. When her hand made its way back up, she allowed it to boldly brush against the already straining erection at her fingertips.

He would pick today to not wear shorts. She lifted an eyebrow at him, and he shot her one back in return. In response she wrapped her hand around his shaft pumping once, twice.

He hissed and worked his pants off the rest of the way. In return his fingers found their way to her slit. He lightly slid his finger up and down the outer folds of her center, before circling her entrance with one finger and thrusting in.

“Always so wet Princess…”

She moaned at the feel of him stretching inside her, and when he added a second finger, breathless she began to roll her hips to meet his.

“Gods Hermione you’re so fucking gorgeous.” The words tumbled from his lips between kisses as he lavished her chest. His words no longer passing right over her but now seeming to settle and drape over the surface of her skin.

Bringing his mouth back to hers he brought her kiss to match the rhythm of the strokes of his fingers inside her. His body lorded over her as he drove her to her edge, devouring his name on his lips. He slowly withdrew his fingers and slid the rest of his body between her legs. He ground against her entrance and met her eyes, a question as he acknowledged that they were indeed equals.

A tear slipped out of one of Hermione’s eyes as she nodded. This time when he entered her, the walls she had kept between them were gone. She allowed herself to feel what she had not before. She wrapped her legs around his body possessively as she claimed his mouth demanding more of him.

He thrust harder going deeper causing her to cry out. Draco set a demanding pace, claiming and taking from her, she could feel the difference in the way he touched her. The desperation to hold onto something that was finally real, finally entirely freely given.

Hitching her leg up at the knee Draco shifted his hips just enough that every move he made only pressed on her g-spot from a new angle. Hermione almost cried from the overwhelming sensation of it.

“Oh Gods! Draco!” She knew in the morning he would have streaks of blood trailing down his back from the tracks her nails were leaving, but it was everything she could do to hold on to the man atop her.

“Hermione.” He grunted in her ear. “Tell me.”

“Fuck! Tell you what?” she managed between pants.

He chuckled and rolled his hips devilishly harder.

She yelled out in ecstasy.

“Tell me you’re mine.” A whisper in her ear.

She felt herself clench around him.

“Fuck...” He thrust into her harder with a little less control.

“Who’s are you Hermione?” He wound his hand in her hair, panting into her face. “Say it.”

“Oh, Draco. Fuck,” she felt herself start to climb to that peak and Draco held her there not letting her move beyond her point of pleasure no matter how torturous it was for either of them.

She could give him this. This time it would cost her nothing, this time it would not be a lie. In some twisted way this was the man she craved.

A slow grin spread across her face.

“I’m yours.” She grabbed a fist full of platinum blonde hair and pulled his mouth back to hers, her hips meeting his erratic thrusts as they both reached their peak.

“Say it again. Say you’re mine!” he demanded thrusting harder hitting the same spot over and over, she felt tingling in her toes and at the top of her head right as her vision began to dim.

“Gods, I’m yours Draco Malfoy.” Hermione thought she heard herself scream followed by a haze of contentment.

They lay there together in a tangled mess of sheets and limbs. This time Hermione felt raw and exposed, she had yet to succumb to the desire to throw back up her shields. She had decided as long as he was willing to keep his down that she would do so as well.

She allowed herself the time to take in his features while he watched her take him in. She studied his fingers and hands, ran her hands over his face. The only other man she had been with was Ron, and apart from their frenzied trysts or various other activities she had never really had the time to look at him as the man that he was. She traced her fingers up a path on his left arm, stopping just before she got to the slithering skull and snake mark. The very idea made her want to vomit, but he had explained his entire situation, and truly he had just been in the wrong family on the wrong side. Well she supposed right side since they _did_ win.

He, in turn, marveled at the buoyancy of her curls and ran his hands repeatedly over her curves. He obsessed over every inch of her body in a way Hermione had never thought possibly, inquiring to where she had received every scar, even down to the ones from childhood.

Then he wanted to know about what her life was genuinely like now. She told him of life down in the dollhouse. What it was like with the girls, their experiences, their current level of fear and he nodded in understanding.

“But Hermione, I still have to ask your logic behind telling them.”

She paused in thought. She supposed this was a moment for trust and the argument was already behind them.

Presuming it to be safe enough she started to explain, “To put it quite simply, they had a right to know. I am no better than them so I had no right to be privy to the knowledge when they would not. We stick together and work together. It is the only way we can make it, Draco.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

Once again, he simply nodded and answered with an okay and left it at that. He did however make one request.

“About the dollhouse.” The hesitance in his voice gave her pause.

“Yes?”

“I would like you to stay here permanently. I have warded the grounds against Astoria, so she will not be able to get to you in here again. Plus, it is simply better for one of us to continue working on our research when I have to leave.”

She thought about it and realized she had quite the question of her own. One that had been eating away at her for weeks.

“Draco, can I ask you a question first? Just where is it you go when you leave? I get that you are looking for leads but I also get this feeling that you go because you _have_ to go not because it is a choice you are making.” Her brown eyes watched him astutely. Carefully dissecting his every move for any minor tell.

He blinked slowly.

“Granger you always were too nosey for your own good.” He sighed, roving his hand over his face. “Look, I will tell you if that is what you truly wish, but I am going to warn you that you will not like it. I Might I just suggest a different time?”

Watching him she took in his suddenly exhausted appearance at just her merely bringing up the subject. Whatever it was must have been a massive weight to carry and quite honestly Hermione felt like she might have just enough of her own right that moment. With having to juggle both her commitment to Draco and the girls, that was not even mentioning the Astoria factor, she really didn’t feel as though she had the breadth to take on anyone else’s load.

“Okay, another time.” She agreed.

“But the girls…and Ginny and Pavarti.” Hesitation laced her voice as she thought about his request. Yes, it did make sense for the sake of their studies, but what of the girls’ own work?

“Yes, of course you could permit guests at your will while I am away as well.”

_Was he serious?_

“Draco, are you being serious right now?”

He gave her a dry stare. “Do I look like I could be any more serious right now?”

“Alright.”

He graced her with a crooked smile and a peck on the lips.

She had never thought she would be so caught off guard by such an innocent action, but again Draco Malfoy did something that simply defied her odds.

Somehow in that moment, after everything, felt even more intimate than the act they had just done before. Simply laying there together, finally getting to teach each other, to see one another.

Hermione packed the remainder of her meager belongings in the expandable trunk Draco had given her. He had just left again on one his outings and Hermione had decided that was as good a time as any tend to what she needed to in the dollhouse and tidy up loose ends.

“I just still don’t understand why you have to move into his suite.” Ginny fussed at the door as she continued to watch her friend prepare to leave.

“I told you already,” she spun around to make she grabbed everything out of her set of drawers. “it will just make everything a lot easier.”

Grabbing the last of her shoes from the closet and stuffing them in the bag she turned surveying the room.

“Well that’s the last of it.”

“Whatever.” Ginny begrudgingly crossed her arms. Hermione could tell she was still cross with her.

“Gin, look, if this is the only way we can get our hands on a wand then I have to take it.” She pleaded with her best friend to understand some of the logic behind her reasoning. If any piece would appease her surely the procurement of a wand would!

“You know that is the only reason I am even allowing this to happen in the first place.”

“Not like either of us had much of a choice.” Hermione muttered under her breath.

“Are we so sure about that?” Her friend looked her directly in the eyes and called her out on her blatant lie.

Hermione gaped, trying to think of something anything to come up with to say. But what was she to say, she herself didn’t when the lie had even begun? And even then, it had been mostly to herself really.

“I am your best friend and I’m not blind. I’ve seen the way you light up when you talk about him. I’m not entirely sure what goes on up there, but I do know it must not all be bad.”

She went to interject, but the red haired witch held up a hand.

“All I hope is that when the time comes you don’t forget whose side you’re really on.”

Tears began to mist her eyes as Ginny turned to walk out of the now spartan room. “I won’t,” she choked out her promise before her friend left the room.

The light shone on her, silhouetting her frame, highlighting all the different facets of red and orange in her hair, in the doorway. She turned to the side before departing one final piece of guidance.  
“With a wand Hermione…. There are three potential ways out of here for us, not just the two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: So things are going to get a little crazy from here so bear with me. Also thank you all for reading and I really love you comments and feedback! Its like writers crack, I could live on it 😊


	8. Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> Waves
> 
> And the freedom of falling  
> The feeling I thought was set in stone  
> It slips through my fingers  
> I'm trying hard to let go  
> It comes and goes in waves  
> It comes and goes in waves  
> And carries us away
> 
> I've watched my wild youth  
> Disappear in front of my eyes  
> Moments of magic and wonder  
> It seems so hard to find  
> Is it ever coming back again?  
> Is it ever coming back again?  
> Take me back to the feeling when  
> Everything was left to find- Dean Lewis

The day had started out just like any other. Hermione awoke alone, the morning light shining gently through her windows. Today marked precisely twenty-two days since she had moved into the penthouse with Draco and that she had made little to no headway in the time research department.

After breakfast she started her usual routine, well except for anticipating the arrival of Ginny or Pavarti. Draco would be returning today, and neither were comfortable enough yet to get caught in his presence. She performed her morning routine then leaving her room made picked up her cup of tea from the kitchen and went and stood in the doorway to the office. Just looking in.

She found herself every morning, just like this, a cup of tea in hand as she leaned against the door jamb, always on the outside looking in.

There was this niggling suspicion in the back of her head that she had forgotten something or was missing something. Something that was important, or at least could have been.

Now every day, sometimes multiple times a day, she found herself here afraid to enter the room for fear of disturbing its contents. Row by row she visually cataloged each piece of parchment, each book, and each piece of furniture. She knew the inside of this room like the back of her hand, so why was something telling her what she was looking for was most definitely in this room.

With a sigh she finished her first round of visual inventory for the day and proceeded into the study. Grabbing the same handful of books from the previous day she carried her reads back into the living area where she could spread out more comfortably with _‘Priscilla Baggins and The Relative Theories to Time Travel and Collapsing Dimensions’_ and Teddimaur Humphries and his studies on the _‘Paradoxes Relative to Space Vortex’s and Interdimensional Travels.’_ Both of which Hermione found had compelling information, but seeing as how she was not quite she where to find a space vortex here on Earth she was not entirely to sure on his relevance, but never the less, she felt it was her duty to leave no page unturned.

She felt Draco’s presence through the wards after several hours of reading, long before she heard the beeping on the door panel as he typed in the code. If there was one thing Hermione had been more than grateful for these past few weeks, it was the presence of the wards. On more than one occasion she had felt the probing of an unwanted visitor whilst Draco was away. Luckily, he never seemed to be too far out of reach and was always able to dash back and check on her, testing the wards for any vulnerabilities, before dashing off again.

To be honest she did not mind the solitude anymore, she had adjusted to the peace and quiet and after years and years of going without it she finally really welcomed what it had to offer, but that didn’t mean she still didn’t get excited when a certain Blonde wizard returned to her.

Hopping up from her perch on the couch she skipped her feet across the plush carpet to greet him. Every time she watched him come back in the door lately, he seemed just a little more worn and beaten than the last time before. It killed Hermione that she was regulated just to strictly doing research inside of the penthouse. But it was not as though she could simply walk out the doors and accompany him on his trips. She was still a prisoner one way or another, even if Draco was doing his best to make her not feel that way.

_But what she wouldn’t give to finally leave these walls…_

However, this time when Draco entered it was different than the others, sure he looked exhausted, but there was still a hint of excitement in his step and a particularly impish gleam in his eyes.

“What have you done?” she asked eying him skeptically.

“Well why do you have to ask it like that?” he approached the other side of the island and laid his outer cloak on the counter. Resting both hands on the space between them he leaned forward resting on his elbows, causing his white button down to bunch up around his biceps.

Pulling her lip between her teeth she appreciatively eyed the way his shirt fit him perfectly and currently strained in all the right places.

_How long had he been one this time? Five days was it?_

“Granger?”

“Hmm?” she was pulled back up to find Draco looking at her expectantly.

“I asked you a question?” he reminded her with a smirk and her cheeks flamed.

“Oh, well you know, only simply because the last time you returned remotely this happy you had killed someone.”

_Evan Rosier to be precise._

“Well yes and you agreed that that was just cause for a celebration too if I remembered correctly.” He shot her a look, one eyebrow perfectly arched, reminding her exactly just how they had celebrated too.

Clearing her throat, she tried to shake the memories of that nights’ celebration. His returned presence had her distracted enough as it was, she really did not need any further assistance with any walks down memory lane full of images of their naked bodies entangled in one another.

“Very well then, what has you so chipper today?” her voice was still a little higher than she would like.

In response he reached into his front trouser pocket and pulled out a small bundled up clothe. There was nothing special about the tiny package in particular, or the specific shape of the bundle, in fact if anything Hermione was certain it contained multiple small things rather than one singular object so she was very unsure of what exactly Draco was so excited to have brought her.

Curiosity thoroughly piqued she watched raptly as he gently unfolded one end of the cloth followed by another until he finally revealed its contents causing her to let out a gasp.

“Draco is that?”

“What’s left of one anyway.” He huffed out with an aggravated sigh.

Between them on the counter lay the golden broken pieces of one of the three ministry time turners. It was clearly beyond repair, but still surely there was something that could be learned from studying the engravings upon the remaining pieces.

“Still Draco, this is amazing.” Hermione was leaned over the seat eyeing the pieces excitedly. She absolutely could not wait to get her hands on them. She looked back up to him. “Have you looked at them yet?”

He shook his head with a yawn.

“No. I figured we would do it together when I got back. Didn’t want you to chop my bollocks off.”

She smirked. _Smart man._

He smirked back turning to make his way down the hall to his room. Typically, when he returned from his trips he would go straight for a shower and wash off his travels, Hermione would curl up with a book on his bed and wait. She followed him out of the kitchen but went back to retrieve a book from her collection on the coffee table when she stopped dead in her tracks.

There on the top of the stack was a book she knew for a fact had not been there before. In fact, she stepped forward taking a closer look and picking up the book to inspect it closer, she knew this book, _‘Rudiments in Runes: Bloodstone and Rune Casting.’_

She had been reading this when Astoria attacked her weeks ago…so how was it here now when she knew she was reading the book right beneath it, _‘Priscilla Baggins and The Relative Theories to Time Travel and Collapsing Dimensions’_. She shook her head lifting the book to carry with her for further inspection. Perhaps Pod had simply found the book and brought it back to her and had not wanted to disturb them, even though that was extremely out of character for the little elf.

She flopped down across Draco’s bed with the book about runes set on picking up on where she left off when the page instantly opened to a spot that had been folded and dog eared. She felt the tips of her ears burn. She knew for a fact that the last time she had held this book in her hands that there had not been a damaged page to be found. The blatant disregard of care that someone had shown for this book had her raging internally.

She heard the water cut off.

“Draco Malfoy!”

The namesake exited the bathroom with nothing more than a towel wrapped low around his hips, giving Hermione a perfect view of the ‘v’ shape that led down to his package below.

“You called?” smirking he prowled across the room in her direction, but Hermione was having none of it.

“Is this how you treat all of your books? Folding the pages,” she folded the page down and nearly shrieked, “and writing in them!”

Right in the creased triangle three numbers had been scrawled in hasty handwriting.

_243 6 3_

“What are you on about?” he leaned over to inspect exactly what she was busy shrieking about.

“This Draco,” Hermione nearly shoved the book under his nose, “this right here!”

Irritated, he pushed the book out of his face.

“I see it. But I literally just walked back in from being away for almost a week. So please do tell me when I would have had time to disrespect this book so?” he asked sardonically as he moved to begin putting his clothes on.

“But if you did not do it…” she asked perplexed, “then who did?”

“Who knows Princess? Maybe the person I gleaned it from? Maybe the owner before that? The possibilities are endless.”

She frowned. “It’s just, I could have sworn the pages were not folded before.”

“Seems like a small easy thing to forget to me.” The blonde wizard shrugged, then threw on a shirt.

Hermione looked down at the book in her hands with a frown. She knew for a fact that this book had not had any of its pages folded before. She also knew she had not forgotten. It was not something she did. Hermione Jean Granger did _not_ damage books, and she also did not _forget_ them.

_‘Rudiments in Runes: Bloodstone and Rune Casting’_ became Hermione’s obsession. Draco wanted desperately to dissect all the remnants of the time turner and she would indulge him for a time, but every chance she would get she found herself returning back to the book at hand staring at the dog eared page trying to decode its importance. She had devoured the pages contents over five times when Draco finally started getting irritated with her.

“Damn it, Granger hand that blasted book over here.” He held his hand out over the strewn about bits of time turner expectantly. Hermione instinctively pulled the book closer to her chest, fearing he was going to toss it away out of frustration. “I’m not going to hurt it. I just want to see it.”

Reluctantly she handed it over, quickly following around the corner of the table to watch as he read what she had been staring down for the majority of the day. He quickly scanned the page and scoffed before turning his attention to the little folded flap in the corner.

“You said you didn’t do this right?” He fingered the little flap back and forth.

Hermione was absolutely taken aback that he would dare insinuate such a thing. She opened her mouth, but he stopped her before she could even get a word out.

“Calm down there Princess, just double checking to be sure.” Very astutely he then picked up a quill and a small piece of scrap paper before copying the numbers on the corner. Then to Hermione’s surprise he began rapidly flipping the pages.

“What are you doing?”

“Sometimes, it just takes a fresh set of eyes to see what someone else has been missing.” He turned to page two hundred and forty-three.

_Oh, my goodness. It was a map. How had she missed that?_

She watched with growing anticipation as his finger ran down to find the sixth chapter of the page and then he started reading from the third sentence.

_“When using runes to journey back in time, one must also be inclined to make a sacrifice of one’s life essence in order to move time back for short durations. It is in the way that the rite is performed that establishes the duration of ones stay backwards in time. The three runes representing Time, the Sun, and the Moon must be drawn in the traveler’s blood binding them to the circle prior to any travel that may commence. Bloodstones must be utilized and retained to carry the connection of dynamism throughout the journey. Once that relation is broken the traveler will be forced back to their proper place.”_

It was then followed by step by step instructions along with a surprisingly reasonable list of ingredients in order to perform the ritual. Draco immediately set about to gathering the things listed without a moment’s pause.

“Draco we can’t just perform that ritual.”

“Why in the blazes not Granger!” He looked at her flabbergasted. “This is the only time travel spell we have encountered this entire time. It may only have been a few months for you, but this has been years of work for me!”

“We don’t know what that spell could do!” She threw he hands up and paced in a circle. “For all we know it could destroy life on a scale, hitherto undreamt of.”

“Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?” He gave her and amused half grin.

“Are you seriously willing to risk it all on a whim. On this small chance that this could be something?”

“Aren’t you?”

The words, spoken so deliberately, so seriously, stopped Hermione in her tracks. Here she was, they were, faced with a potential opportunity to finally do something and she was questioning whether it was worth it.

He was right of course.

Of course, this was worth the risk, for her anyway. She was dead either way, eventually. But for Draco…was it worth risking his life on a spell they knew nothing about?

Her brown eyes sought out his silver ones. She found them set on her with a look of pure determination. It did not matter what she did or said, he was going to perform this ritual with or without her. All she could do was ensure that he did it as properly as possible and with as  
few risks as possible.

Her curls bounced around her head as she nodded in concession. She would go, they would go, to where…when, she was not quite sure.

The rest of the evening was spent preparing for the ritual. Luckily, it did not call for a specific time or lunar cycle. But the diagram, a massive circle encasing a square crossing over a triangle drawn out of crushed moon stone, required a tone of space. They then had to top each of the seven corners with its own pillar of labradorite. In the center was a stone chalice, where they were meant to make their blood sacrifice to tie themselves to the power of the alchemic diagram filling the majority of the room, the stone pillars, and the blood stones they were to keep on them at all times.

Standing back, they looked at their handy work. Most of the furniture had to be moved to the edges of the room. But even Hermione could not deny they had created a masterpiece. It could not be any more textbook if she tried. She almost did not want to even enter its center for fear of ruining its perfection.

“Still sure about this?” she looked to the blonde wizard next to her as he looked on at the nearly finished circle. They still had one step left before it was completed. The final step officially bound the two of them to the diagram in the floor using old blood magic, and she could tell even he was hesitant to perform that step.

Silver flashed before her eyes and in one swift motion Draco drew the small dagger across the palm of his hand. Red welled in the center and he balled up his fist right as a drop hit the floor.

“It’s now or never Princess.” He looked to her offering her the knife.

Without giving herself a moment to overthink she took the knife from his hand and slashed her own palm before stepping into the circle. They started at opposite ends, filling in the gaps in the diagram on the floor with the same three alternating runes, each one drawn in their own blood.

With the first and second simultaneous runes the pillars of labradorite began to glow a cool blue. When they drew the next set the swirling runes Hermione felt the air around them shift and the lines in the circle began to glow an iridescent gold as they began to trace and connect.

By the time they finished the final pair of runes the entire mandala was alight, with her and Draco standing in the center. The air surrounding them stilled, everything had.

Time had ceased.

“Hermione…” his voice was an awed whisper.

Somehow, they had accomplished the impossible, well this part at least. She let out a slow breath and pulled the two blood stones out of her pocket. She took Draco’s cut hand with her own, clasping the stone tightly between them while she clutched her own in the other.

“Now, if my calculations are correct, we should only go back to earlier today. Merlin knows where we will end up.” Her heart was racing a mile a minute. She had done many stupid and reckless things I her life before, especially following Harry across the continent, but this… this had to top the list.

This time she was following Draco Malfoy across time. The concept would have been laughable had you told her back when she was in school, now, however, nothing made more sense to her.

He brought their hands up and squeezed their dripping blood into the chalice, the catalytic sacrifice, and instantly the world spun around them. They were frozen in place, but time no longer stood still, it had revved up and was now rolling in reverse. They watched as everything slowly came into focus and the room around them shifted to once again resemble Draco’s office in its original, unaltered state. Chalice, runes, diagram, and even the book were gone.

The stop was sudden and seamless, so easy that neither of them even realized it had happened. It was not until they started hearing sounds of life outside the door that they realized that their trip had officially ended. Draco was the first to move, heading straight to the clock on the fireplace mantle.

“Eleven fifteen.” His eyes sought hers out in wonderment. “I’m still in Romania right now then?”

“If that’s indeed where you were at this time.” Hermione walked to the window to look out, still not entirely convinced. “Are we completely sure we are back in time, what if we accidentally went forward?”

“Only one way to find out.”

“Draco wait!” Hermione panicked as he started to head for the office door. “If I am out there, it is imperative that I don’t see you.”

He rolled his eyes at her in annoyance. “Granger, I have been studying this for years. Do you really think I’m not aware of all the paradox warnings?”

With nothing else to say she subtly nodded, and quietly followed him out of the room. They followed along the wall to peek around the corner into the living room. Sure enough, there she was. It was the oddest thing still, watching one’s self. She sat there reading the book from earlier, still wearing the gray leggings and white tank top that she was sporting now, her hair barely contained by the hair tie she had carelessly thrown it up in.

She backed up slowly, gently tugging Draco along with her until they were back in the office with the door properly closed.

Draco was just about to cast a locking spell when she stopped him.

“Don’t worry, I don’t come back in here until you get home today. We are safe as long as we don’t draw any attention to ourselves.”

“Well?”

With a nod of her head. “That confirms it.” Her hands shot to her mouth to stifle her excitement.

_They had done it. They had really gone back in time!_

With a wild grin Draco scooped her up in his arms and covered her lips with his own.

“And you thought I was barmy witch. I told you we could do it.”

Hermione pulled back just enough to look at the wizard currently still holding her aloft. His gorgeously masculine face that she was so used to seeing brooding even from the days of her childhood now finally showed that hidden childlike exuberance that he kept deep inside. His eyes were alight with excitement and pride, for both him and her, at what they both had accomplished. And they _both_ had. Together.

Had it not been for him she would still be on a stage dancing for her next sickle. Draco Malfoy had come into her life like a wrecking ball. Tore down all her walls and barriers, shown her things she never wanted to see, and then…he had saved her. Them.

He had saved them all.

She cupped his face with her hands, ignoring the smear of blood, and brought her lips to his in a kiss that was meant to say everything. It was a kiss that gave him thanks and made promises towards the future. A future that could now be possible because of what they had done,  
what they had now made possible.

He moaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss and taking control, telling her of his own promises. Promises she was sure he had full intentions of fulfilling sooner rather than later as he carried her over to one of the sofas. He sat allowing her knees to straddle him on either side, neither willing to break their kiss. Both aware that they were rapidly spiraling into something more.

“How much time do we have?” he panted when they finally came up for air.

Hermione rested her forehead on his and closed her eyes trying to focus on the moment at hand and not the man between her thighs.

“Not enough… you should be coming through the wards any time now.”

Draco groaned and ran his hand over his face and pulled at his hair in frustration.

“Besides, I don’t know if you noticed this…” her own words came out in small breaths. “but we no longer have the book with us.”

“I did see that actually.” The wizard let out a tempered sigh. “What do you think that means.”

She climbed off his lap and got to her hands and knees. Draco arched an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes at his insinuation.

“Well, if my theory is correct.” She ducked her head to glace under the couch before coming up empty handed and moving to the next one. “We have come to a time where another version of the same book already exists. So, two versions could not coexist so the other stayed behind, well ahead I suppose.”

“And you are doing what exactly?”

Draco continued to eye her skeptically as she crawled around the room looking under various pieces of furniture. All the while the wards having alerted them to the other Draco’s arrival to the penthouse.

“I’m sure that book has to be in this room. I have been staring at this room looking for something I misplaced since Astoria, but I could not remember what I was looking for. But it was this book. It had to be! I was reading it the day she came here and then I know I brought it in here when I locked myself in. But I have not seen it since.”

Lazily, almost as if he were bored, Draco pulled out his wand, “Accio _‘Rudiments in Runes: Bloodstone and Rune Casting._ ’.”

The book instantly came flying out from under one of the shelves lining the wall. Once in his hands he began to flip through it lazily, with a current feeling of accomplishment.

“Well look at that Princess, you were right. There is not a dog-eared page to be found in this copy.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Walking over to look at the book in his hands she saw that this version of the book was in fact just as pristine as she remembered.

_Then how…?_

Draco stood and carried the book over to his desk and grabbed a quill, “What page were you last on?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well it’s obvious isn’t it? You were right on both accounts. I also mistreated this book by dogearing this page and then desecrated its sanctity by writing in it.”

_Of course. It was just like third year all over again. They were in a time loop already._

Somehow the two of them had gotten their hands on the book previously and ensured that the other two versions of themselves would find it.

“Come on now princess, we don’t have that much time.”

An expression of muted horror covered her face as Draco folded the page she directed him to then proceeded to write down the exact same series of numbers they had discovered earlier hidden in the flap. She only made to stop him when he began heading for the door.

“Draco wait, you can’t go out there. You are facing the living room the entire time. You can’t risk it.” She held her hand out expectantly. It had to be her who put the book out for herself to find, besides she was the only one who knew exactly where all her stuff was at the moment so it only stood to reason that she had already done so once before.

Having sequestered the book, she silently snuck down the hall. Draco followed distantly behind her just close enough to keep a watchful eye. She peeked around the corner and waited until the other Draco was distracted looking down to race across and steal behind the couch.

Heart pounding, she pressed her back against the back of the couch and took deep breaths, clutching the book to her chest for dear life. She looked to her Draco as he peeked around the corner and waited for him to signal that was clear for her to move again. After a few agonizing minutes he gave a quick jerk of his head and she quickly hurried to the other side of her barricade. Moving as fast as her legs could carry her in a low crouch she hurried to where the other two books were stacked on the table before her. Crouching behind it she reached up and slid the other book quickly on top of the stack and was just getting ready to turn and scurry back to cover when steel gray eyes met hers from the kitchen.

Frozen to the spot, wide eyed like a deer in headlights, Hermione watched as past Draco quickly took in her presence and with a quirk of his mouth replied to something the other Hermione said.

She remembered this moment from earlier, she also remembered exactly what was said next and at no point did he mention seeing another version of herself sneaking around in the room just behind her.

He shook his head with a yawn.

_He was signaling for her to go!_

No longer caring if past Draco saw her or not, she quickly rushed out of the living area and back towards the hall, grabbing her Draco’s hand and dragging him back to the study with her.

She closed the door right as she heard footsteps enter the hall and she pressed her back against the wood. Eyes shut tight, she breathed in heavily until they passed. She still sat there quietly and waited, knowing that it would only be a few short moments before another set of feet  
would follow down the hall.

Once the coast was clear she opened her eyes and looked right at Draco, her Draco, who stared back at her with something akin to slight amusement and maybe, just maybe, a small hint of guilt.

“You saw me.”

A simple nod of his platinum head, his lips twisting up ever so slightly.

“You knew it would work.”

“I presumed.”

He shuffled around with his hands in his pockets, tracing the pattern in the rug idly with his shoe. He refused to meet her exhausted glare. Which at this moment was probably for the best, she had mind to tell him exactly what she thought about him keeping such integral  
information to himself this entire time!

She finally allowed her head to fall back against the door with a huff.

_She was so tired of this shite. Of these games._

“I hate you.”

He crouched before her pulling both of her hands in his and bringing them to his lips. He brushed his lips tenderly across her knuckles before leaning his face into one of her hands.

“That’s a shame, because I adore you.”

He pried the bloodied bloodstone out of her hand and let them both drop to the floor, the present rushing back at them at full speed. Her stomach lurched as their bodies were pulled back ahead, the magical bond finally disconnected. The moment they landed in their time, right  
back in the center of the mandala Hermione fell to her knees gasping for air.

Pain cascaded through her body, causing her to nearly go into convulsions. She could feel the spells aftereffects and the hollowness of what it had left behind, the space from the toll she had paid for her travels.

Going back in time was not the same as coming home to the future. It was rough and painful. She now understood why the spell was only meant for short trips back and nothing more.

“Hermione? Are you ok?” Draco knelt beside her stroking her back. For some reason he did not seem to be quite as affected as she was. Sure, he had a bit of a headache, but nothing more than his first few apparition trips had produced. But Hermione looked like she was about to  
be feint.

“I… I think I’m going to be sick.” The curly haired witch got up and stumbled none to gracefully out of the room and towards her bathroom. The second her knees hit the marble tile her stomach violently upheaved all its contents.

It took Hermione three hours to stop vomiting and finally settle into some level of comfort in Draco’s arms for the night. Even then she could not stop thinking about how worth it had been. They had successfully pulled off their first trip back in time, albeit a rather small one, but they went back none the less. Now they just had to test the boundaries of the spell and perform modifications and adjustments. She was already running calculations in her head on the best ways to safely extend how far they were able to go back. She just needed to do more research, but now she had something real to finally build off.

The arms around her tightened. “Hermione, go to sleep.” He grumbled into her hair. “It was a long day.”

He may not have gotten physically ill like she had but she could clearly tell that the magic had significantly taken something out of him.

The price had been high, higher than either of them had anticipated. Hermione especially considering there had been no such occurrence for her when she’d used the time turner previously.

“I know… its just there are so many possibilities.” Mumbling she burrowed deeper into his bare chest seeking the comfort and solace she had come to find there.

“All of which we will start to look at tomorrow… but now, sleep.” He commanded, brushing his hand down through her curls and brushing them across her back.

Closing her eyes, she let the sounds of his heartbeat and slow rhythmic breathing lull her to an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

He walked in through the roaring green flames, his nerves already grating at having been summoned in the middle of a workday to hurry back to the manor. He and Hermione had been right in the middle of theorizing a potential way to expand the time limit of the spell when he received yet another owl from Astoria demanding his presence back home.

The last time had just been Astoria trying to stir up some drama between him and Hermione. He was certain this time would not be any different.

Grumbling the entire way, he stormed his was down the marbled corridor from the floo parlor to the tearoom where the letter had requested he meet her. He could not stand this dreadful place, but Astoria insisted on taking up familial residence there. Something about  
maintaining the family honor she’d claimed.

It was all a bunch of hog wash to him.

He took a deep centering breath before throwing the door open to the room and its awaiting occupant.

“What could possibly be so important this time Astoria, that you deemed it necessary to interrupt…” his words drew up short in his mouth at the sight of his mother’s elegant arms wrapped around his wife as the witch cried delicately into a handkerchief.

“Oh, my darling I’m so glad you’re here. Astoria just received the most dreadful news this morning.” His mother looked at him pointedly warning him that she would accept nothing less than his best behavior. His mother, always the vision of beauty and a model pureblood witch  
would stand for nothing less of course. Even now her hair was pinned up in an elegant chignon and she wore a set of dress robes that even by his standards were a little too much for someone who had no intentions of leaving their home that day.

At that, Astoria started crying in outright earnest, standing and flinging her arms around an exceedingly surprised Draco. Unsure of what to do with his hands as the witch sobbed uncontrollably into his, chest he tentatively placed them on her back and began rubbing in an  
awkward up and down motion. His eyes sought out his mother in question as to what in the hell was going on, but the cunning woman was already up and moving towards the doors.

“I am just going to leave you two to some privacy.” She gave him one more stern look before shutting the doors and leaving him alone with one of his least favorite witches sobbing hysterically in his arms. Her elegant robes trailing behind her as she left the room.

How long they stood there like that he could not be sure, but it felt like a damned eternity. He had even turned to attempting to whispering assurances to her in an attempt to get it to finally cease but to no avail. It was like everything he said either made it worse or fell on deaf  
ears. Finally, when it seemed as though she had run out of the current stores of liquid in her body, she slowly pulled away from him, Draco immediately allowed his hands to drop back to his sides.

She went back to her place on the settee she had been occupying with his mother before. She gestured for him to follow and take the seat next to her.

At a complete loss for the situation Draco ran on autopilot and did as his wife bid him. Once he sat, she took both his hands in hers, and to his total abject and complete horror, started crying yet again.

_What in this lovely version of hell did I do to deserve this this time?_

“For Merlin’s sake Astoria, what is it?” it was a wild shot in the dark, but he was determined to not have to sit here for another hour while his wife cried into his arms again. He just simply did not know if he could honestly go through those motions again.

Luckily for him, it seemed to work. She sniffled and looked at him with one of her looks that could curdle poison.

“Draco it’s absolutely dreadful.” She switched back over to self-pity so fast he found it remarkably laughable.

“Look Story,” he used his old pet name for her to try to keep her calm. He wanted this entire ordeal over and done with as soon as possible. “I’ve already told you, there is nothing I can’t take care of.”

He watched as she sniffed and nodded acceptingly, but still with a flair of sorrow.

Still her keenness to acquiesce after her large show of tears was almost disturbing.

“I know,” she brought the dainty linen up to pat delicately at her eyes, “it just won’t quite be the same though.”

_What was the witch on about?_

“I’m not sure I’m following you Astoria.” He searched her face for any hint or clue, but she was a Slytherin through and through, and he knew he would only see what she wanted him to. They were practically trained from birth to hold a constant mask.

“I’m barren, Draco.” The proclamation crossed the air and hit him like a slap in the face.

He raked his hand through his hair and stood, no longer able to remain seated.

_Shite. Getting involved with the offering ritual was the absolute last thing he wanted to do right now, yet alone even think about putting a child of his through._

“The mediwitch informed me this morning. I know it wasn’t exactly like we were trying right away, but I wanted everything to be perfect for when we did. And… and then…. This…” the tears started streaming down her face again, but Draco could not stop his pacing across the  
floor.

_Why did she have to be so meddlesome? Like she said they were no where near even close to trying for a child._

They could have gone years without knowing. This information could not have come at an absolute worse time. Especially when he and Hermione had been so close to finally getting somewhere.

_He could just let her keep full access to the penthouse so their work could continue. And maybe he could even stop in from time to time and help out when he could. Three witches would be a lot for any wizard to juggle. He mused._

“Draco…did you hear me?”

“Hmm, yes of course.” He pulled out of his inner musings to address the witch who was an ever-constant problem in his existence. “We will obtain an offering, of course, and the entire ordeal is settled.”

Her dark depths looked at him curiously as she tilted her head studying him, a slight lift to the corner of her mouth was all that she let slip through her broken woman façade.

_What? Did he have floo powder on his nose and no one had told him yet?_

“Draco, we don’t have to obtain an offering.”

“What? Of course, we do.” He responded very impassive, like this was not a topic up for discussion.

_Thank Merlin._

Now all he had to do was not sound too relieved that she did not want to go the offering route and put up just enough fight to not make her suspicious.

Her golden hair cascaded around her shoulders as she shook her head. “Draco, I fear you misunderstand me. We don’t have to obtain an offering because you already purchased her.”

At this Draco’s feet stood frozen to the floor and hie felt his stomach drop to his toes.

_Holy. fuck._

Astoria stood and walked over to him, taking his hand once again in hers. It was everything he could do to remain standing as the floor threatened to come up to meet him.

“Oh Draky, you were so right! This could not have come at a more perfect time, not when you just purchased Hermione!” Astoria was nearly giddy with glee as she stood before him, taking in the complete expression of shock that Draco was unable to shield from his face.

_How…how had that happened?_

“So,” Astoria squeezed his hands with just a little more force than necessary pulling his attention back down to her and away from his thoughts of Hermione. “When should we move her into the manor? I was thinking the sooner the better, no sense in wasting time.”

Cold dark eyes, almost black, looked back at him as he stared at her in bewilderment, _but he didn’t even want a child._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Your getting this update just a few days ahead of schedule, but this is really the turning point for the story, so frequency may change based off my muse. I really hope you like it! Also… always love your feedback 😊 keep those scoobie snacks coming guys!


	9. Teeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****A/N – hey guys so if you’re feeling up to it go check out my new Tumblr page https://pink-wednesdays.tumblr.com/ its got all sorts of goodies 😊  
> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> Teeth
> 
> Some days, you're the only thing I know  
> Only thing that's burning when the nights grow cold  
> Can't look away, can't look away  
> Beg you to stay, beg you to stay, yeah  
> Sometimes, you're a stranger in my bed  
> Don't know if you love me or you want me dead  
> Push me away, push me away  
> Then beg me to stay, beg me to stay, yeah
> 
> Call me in the morning to apologize  
> Every little lie gives me butterflies  
> Something in the way you're looking through my eyes  
> Don't know if I'm gonna make it out alive
> 
> Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet  
> Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth  
> Late night devil, put your hands on me  
> And never, never, never ever let go  
> Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet  
> Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth  
> Late night devil, put your hands on me  
> And never, never, never ever let go – 5 Seconds of Sumer

The early morning light slowly began filtering through the cracks in the heavily curtained windows, casting errant steaks of light on the deep green damask wallpaper of her new room. Hermione sat there perched on the edge of her bed, the smooth varnish of her wand gliding across her fingertips as she rolled the piece of wood in her hands repeatedly.

Light gradually continued to seep into the room as she sat there, lost in her own thoughts. Her feet dangled from the grotesque four poster. The exact position Draco had left her the night before. He had said he would come right back for her, that he would not leave her to her first night alone. But that had been hours ago.

Warmth from the sunlight tickled at her toes.

_How had she gotten here?_

Once again, for the hundredth time since getting mixed up with Draco Malfoy, did she question how her choices had effectively brought her to this conclusion.

Merely two days before she had been at the Lounge, sure that that was where she would be until they either succeeded in their mission…or they failed. Somehow this potential alternative ad skipped her mind entirely.

She stared up at the chandelier hanging from her ceiling, flashes from the days leading up to this filling her mind. Just like the little glints of light refracting in the crystals, they too were all fractured and moving. Time having been broken and segmented by her shock.

_She had been in the office tweaking the spells different components, trying to find the most likely successful version to send them back further. Draco having been called away earlier that afternoon she had been determined to see if she could find a new version to run through with him by the time he returned. That was of course until Ginny and Pavarti realized he had left again._

_The two witches had made a quick beeline up to Hermione’s room the second word got out that he had vacated the premises as per usual. This was the time they used to update each other on the happenings on either end of the Lounge in complete privacy, away from prying eyes._

_So far only Pavarti had come out with any impressive amount of success when it came to siphoning off bits of magic from her patron to boost her own. There were two other witches who had been able to come a little close as well, but nothing to be deemed useful just yet. But still it was something, a massive step in the right direction after years of standing still._

_That was where they were when Hermione felt the wards shift, allowing Draco through. She had turned to both girls wide eyed, and body rigid. The girls and Draco had yet to cross paths, until then._

_“Gin!” She whispered urgently, “Don’t be alarmed but he’s back.”_

_Of course, in that moment she was too preoccupied with both of the witches sitting in front of her with panicked expressions stricken across their faces to question why he had returned so soon, after only having left hours before._

_Three sets of wide eyes turned to watch her doorway as they heard the door to the front open and close, followed by Draco’s heavy footfalls moving in a clipped back towards their direction._

_A pale hand lifted at her door, as though he were going to knock, but once he realized it was already open with light on inside, he slowly pushed it open. His face sharing the startled expression that the other two witches wore before him, before he carefully schooled his features._

_“Hey, I did not think you would be back so soon.” She jumped up trying to fill the space and silence between them as the Draco and Ginny met each other’s gazes by sheer determination alone._

_“I had some news…” his words trailed off as his gaze finally turned to take her in. If possible, he grew even paler before her very eyes._

_“Ginevra, Pavarti.” He acknowledged the other girls stoically. His eyes flickering back towards them._

_“Malfoy.” Ginny greeted back in challenge. Pavarti simply nodded her head in like response._

_He turned his gray eyes back to hers and she could practically see the war waging within their icy depths._

_A slow knot of dread began to coil in her belly._

_“What is it?”_

_He opened his mouth like he was going to reply before closing it again and glancing behind her, back at the other two women still sitting on her bed, and then looking back at her again unsurely. She had known then that whatever he had to say was bad._

_“Whatever you have to say to her you can go ahead and say in front of us. We don’t keep any secrets from each other.” She heard Ginny interrupt from her place behind her making it known that now that they were all here, she had no intentions of going anywhere._

_With a sigh Hermione closed her eyes and slowly nodded to Draco. It did not matter if they found out whatever it was he had to say, whether it be now or later. There was no keeping it from them now that they knew whatever it was existed._

_Hardening his eyes again he glanced back up at Ginny once more before coming to the same conclusion that she most likely had as well._

_Letting out a sigh of his own he spit the words out in a hurry. “Astoria’s barren.”_

_A loud whooshing sound pounded in Hermione’s ears and she did her best to maintain her focus on Draco’s face. Her own stomach dropped to the floor and she was suddenly finding it hard to breathe. She heard the voices around her, Ginny demanding more from Draco,_ _Parvati’s voice light and soothing coming closer to her side. Draco’s gray eyes and ashen face, a mimic of her own now she was sure, trying desperately to regain her focus._

_The edges of her vision began to blur, and the world started to feel off balance. She swayed tilting to the right then the left before catching herself again._

Astoria was barren.

Barren.

_And Draco… was telling her because…_

_The pounding grew louder in her ears, her attempts at breathing had all but been forgotten. She felt her eyes flutter shut on her own accord right as strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close and lifting her feet from the ground right before it rushed up to meet her on its_ _own accord._

_“Princess, stay with me…”_

_“Draco, I… I…” she managed to stumble as she felt herself being carried across the penthouse._

_“Shh, I know. I know…” he gently deposited her on the couch nearest to the fireplace in the living room. His thumbs brushing away the wetness from her cheeks._

Since when had she started crying?

_“What are you going to do to fix this!” She could hear Ginny demanding from nearby._

_Cool hands continued to brush over her face and hair in a soothing motion._

_“I’m going to figure this out. I promise. Just stay with me and breathe Hermione. I need you here.” His voice was laced with worry, as he answered Ginny’s question but directed it solely towards her. Slowly the sound of his low tenor began to break through the loud thrumming in her ears. “Just breathe Princess… that’s it, breathe.”_

_She focused on her breaths, in and out. Slowly this time, in, out. Gradually the world around her began to shift back into focus, the center becoming less dim and slowly spreading it clarity from there. When she could finally see clearly once more, she was not surprised to find the faces of the two panicked witches and one horrified wizard staring right back at her._

Draco had been able to buy her a week. One week before she was to move to the manor and officially start the next chapter of her life as an _offering_. One week in which she panicked more than she could ever remember panicking in her life.

He had not been able, much to Ginny’s fury, to get her completely out of it. All they knew for sure was that offerings did not return. The fact that Draco too seemed quite despondent about the entire thing had only made things worse. Gin had spent every waking moment that she could in the penthouse with Hermione, demanding Draco find some other option. But at the end of the day, she had found herself sitting there, alone, in an opulent bedroom on the west wing of Malfoy manor, Draco’s wing.

Waiting all night for Draco to return for her, but he had not.

Brick by brick she placed her walls back in place. It had been an arduous process, one that had taken most of her focus and almost all of her magical stores, but she had almost completely placed back her mental shield that had been worn down over time post war without having her magic to maintain it.

She would need Draco to replenish her magic stores sooner rather than later… she continued to finger the rigid larch wood wand in her hand, the dragon heartstring core was powerful to say the least. The wand, though finicky at first had quickly adapted to Hermione’s wild type of magic and the spells she could wield…

If only she were actually allowed to wield them. Draco had made a mad dash in those final days to ensure she had a wand before she moved to the manor. What he did not know was that she had begged and pleaded for Gin to take it, to leave it behind with the other witches to improve their odds without her. But her fiery friend would hear none of it.

_“Draco is right. Merlin I never thought those words would come out of my mouth.” The red headed witch had grimaced like she had a bad taste in her mouth. “You are more than likely going to need this, especially now that he can’t ward anyone away for your protection.”_

_She had then firmly placed the wand back in her hands, wrapping Hermione’s fist around the base with her own hand. Tears blurred her vision, and she had discreetly tried to wipe them away._

Swiping away at the errant tear rolling down her face, Hermione sighed at the memory. That had been one of the last times she had seen her friend. The next thing she knew she was being ushered through the floo network with Draco by her side on the way to Malfoy Manor. To what horrors that awaited her there she had no idea, but by the strong set to Draco’s jaw she could tell that had still been the last thing he had wanted to do.

When they had stepped through, they had been instantly greeted by the faces of his family. All three of them…

A chill ran down her spine at the memory of the look of pure malice in Astoria’s eyes the moment she had laid eyes on Hermione. Lucius had looked on distantly with his usual air of distaste, and Narcissa seemed to be there simply for Astoria’s familial support, neither caring about Hermione’s presence one way or the other.

She had not known what was worse. Knowing how eagerly Astoria had wanted her there, within arm’s reach, or the complete indifference with which the other Malfoys had treated her. A reminder that she was simply less than, an object to be used and discarded once its purpose was fulfilled.

_The picturesque married couple, as sick as it made her to acknowledge, had then led her to her new room. Hermione followed in silence as Astoria went on about the list of things she was allowed and not allowed to do. The latter being much, much longer of course. Pretty much she was allowed in her room, the grounds, the kitchen, and thank Merlin it seemed a concession had been made that she was also allowed to explore the library…with permission of course._

_The older Malfoy couple had followed dutifully behind Hermione, not saying a word, but she had felt their eyes boring into the back of her skull none the less. Picking away at what little dregs of memory were still out in the open._

_By the end of Astoria’s tirade, they had finally stopped in front of a set of doors Hermione presumed to be her own. Draco had opened the door, nodding for her to enter first, only to have herself cut off by Astoria._

_The blonde gripped her arms and investigated her face excitedly. Hermione immediately felt her body go tense and saw Draco do the same over the witches’ shoulder, his eyes never leaving the two of them as though he were ready to spring into action at moment’s notice._

_“You have no idea how relieved I am to have you here Hermione.” The witch pulled her in close for a mock embrace. “I told you I would have him one way or the other.” She whispered quietly enough so that only Hermione could hear and then pulled back away. “I just know this is going to be a splendid arrangement for all of us.”_

_Releasing her grip on her arms the witch had then stepped out of the way allowing Hermione to finally enter her room. After a few hushed words outside her door Draco eventually followed suit closing the door behind him._

_With a sigh he leaned against the shut door watching her through tired eyes as she took in her new surroundings. When she finally gave in and turned to face him, unable to hide the tears threatening to spill over her eyes he immediately pushed off the door to pull her body into a warm embrace._

_“I am so sorry Princess.” He placed a kiss on top of her head as she burrowed her face into his chest, breathing in something that was now comforting and familiar. “But we can still fix this. This isn’t over.”_

_“But Draco how?” She stuttered and stopped. “I don’t see how there is any possible way out of this.”_

_“We don’t stop working Hermione.” He met her eyes with a look of determination. “This only changes where we work, but not what we are doing. She has no control over my home office and there you are also free to come and go as you please.”_

_Sniffling she nodded. It was true, if he was still willing to carry on then so would she. But…_

_“Draco, but what about…”_

_Outside of the lounge the contraceptive charms were no longer in place, and she knew without asking she was unexpected to be able to perform them._

_His eyes darkened at the thought causing her to take a step back. He watched her predatorily._

_“There is just going to have to be a lot of self-control involved.”_

_She nodded again with a swallow. Already feeling herself react to his gaze alone and she felt her body begin to flush._

_Draco took a measured step in her direction and she took an equally measured step back._

_“Even though…” he murmured, “I’m sure Astoria hadn’t considered exactly what it meant for me to have you here, at my fingertips.”_

_Another step forward, followed by her responsive step back. This continued until he had her backed flush against the wall._

_“Draco, she could be listening!” she breathily whispered. Her heart was racing, but in an entirely different way now. Draco always had that effect on her. Turning one type of situation to another entirely in a simple matter of moments._

_His finger trailed along her jaw, fingering a curl as he followed it down to where her breasts were barely peeking out of her dress._

_“That, Princess,” he responded with a devilish smile, “is precisely the point.”_

_He leaned in, trailing his lips along her collar bone, nibbling hard enough to elicit a whimper._

_A rap sounded at the door._

_He ignored it with a chuckle and continued his path up her neck and to her ear, licking and teasing the entire way. His hand snaking up her leg under her dress._

_Another rap, harder and more insistent this time._

_“Draco! Darling…” Astoria’s voice sang through the door._

_“Wait here for me. I promise I’ll be back tonight.” He had whispered in her ear before backing away from her with a lascivious grin._

_Keeping the same look in place he opened the door to greet his wife, allowing it to swing wide enough that she would see Hermione flushed against the wall, her neck pocked from his love bites._

_Astoria had not said a word. Her eyes only flashed that wicked gleam before her door magically slammed shut._

A soft knock rapped on her door, startling Hermione out of her own thoughts once again. The knob on her door turned without her response. The door slowly pushed open to reveal a particularly disappointing Malfoy on the other side.

Hermione took in his bedraggled appearance, pleased to not that at least he had the proper decency to look as miserable as she felt. He met her eyes with a tired expression as he closed the door behind him and crossed the space between them. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, not in the mood to hear any of his usual vague excuses.

“Where were you?” her voice was flat and deadpan. Exactly how she felt inside, desolate and deserted.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I got… called away.” He paused sitting beside her in the place she had not moved from for hours.

Refusing to look at him she asked again. “Where?”

Draco brought both hands up to cover his face, resting his elbows on his knees as he bent over taking slow and even breathes.

“Hermione… I wasn’t with Astoria if that is what you are thinking.”

_How could she not have jumped to that conclusion? When the last time she saw him, he was literally leaving her behind with his picture-perfect wife in tow._

The images of him with her in their marital bed in a room just a few doors over had plagued her all night. The burn of betrayal had started out as an ember when he’d walked out on her, leaving her alone in this horrid place to begin with, an had flamed to a white hot inferno by the time the sun had risen and she was still alone.

“Where were you then, Draco?” irritation began to seep into her tone and she finally looked over at his despondent form. He still sat there, cradling his head in his hands, an air of defeat surrounding him.

“I got called away for work.” His voice may have been muffled but she was still able to pick up on the strain in his voice. The slightest of nuances, unnoticeable to most, but not for her.

The lie.

“Work?” back to emotionless, after all she had learned from the best. Never show how you truly feel, never show any of your cards unless you want them to be revealed. In fact, she was quite certain if she were able to be sorted again, she would more than likely end up in Slytherin herself by this point.

“Yes.”

“The Lounge?”

Draco did not answer. They sat there, her staring back out the window and him with his head hiding in his hands. She knew the next to speak would be the loser of this conversation, and Hermione was so tired of losing ground. It felt like for every one step forward she made she was pulled back three. She knew Draco was hiding something, there was something more that he was involved in, all the times he would disappear and go out of town for business… none of it had a thing to do with the girls at the club, or the club itself.

After another long few minutes of stretched silence, he finally let out another defeated sigh, “No.”

She nodded once, still waiting for further explanation. He owed her more this time, her life was directly on the line as a result of him and she would be damned if his one word, veiled answers would suffice.

“I was on an assignment…” another deep intake of breath as though he was steadying himself for the next words to come out of his mouth, “from the Dark Lord.”

This time it was Hermione’s turn to take a sharp inhale as her head spun immediately to look at him. She eyed the dark skull with the writhing snake protruding as its tongue that stood out in dark contrast on his arm. Almost purposefully on display with his rolled-up sleeves on his shirt.

A Deatheater he had always been… and yet somehow, she had let herself forget that simple, glaringly obvious fact.

She shut her eyes before she asked her next question, unsure if she even really wanted to voice it. “Do I need to ask what it was?” finally she allowed a bit of timidness to creep into her voice.

She felt him shift beside her before she heard his simple response.

“No.”

Breathing a sigh of mixed grudging relief, she opened her eyes to find him sitting upright once again, his eyes holding a seriousness letting her know that she did not, in fact, want to know the specifics.

“Okay.” She breathed her eyes still holding his as she felt much of her anger begin to dissipate, but only to be replaced with trepidation. She had finally been forced to acknowledge the unspoken proverbial elephant in the room. At the end of the day… he was officially on the wrong side.

His hand reached up to brush her face and she instinctively flinched, causing him to immediately drop his hand. The hurt and disappointment in his eyes tore at her heart, but there was so much that she did not know about him, about what he did when he went away. And to be quite frank, now she was not sure if she ever did want to know.

What horrors was he still committing all in the name of his master? She shuddered at the thought.

Schooling his features to a mask of calm indifference he stood. “Well, I think it’s time you had a proper tour of the grounds. Get dressed and I will take you around personally myself. I know it does not make up for my absence overnight, but it is the least I can do now.”

Nodding silently, she stood and made her way to the washroom, ready to get whatever surprises today held for her over and out of the way with.

Draco personally escorted her throughout the manor, first showing her his private room, which she was surprised to learn he did not share with his wife, and then to his office. Both of which were easily accessible to Hermione from her current rooms position. He also pointed out where Astoria’s quarters were. They were not nearly as close to her as Draco was, she was actually located on a completely separate hall, although still in the same wing of the manor.

Hermione made sure to make a mental note to steer clear of that section of the wing as much as possible.

The rest of the manor was as she had expected, oversized, opulent, and lavishly excessive. He directed her to the east wing of the manor and informed her that that was where his parent quarters were housed, she would do well to stay away from there as well.

Draco began to get more enthusiastic as his tour went on, pointing out various no go zones, for her safety of course, and places that were safe for her to seek harbor in if need be. It was not until the neared a large set of glass doors allowing the days light to shine through that she paused, causing him to turn to her excitedly.

“When was the last time Hermione?”

“I… I don’t remember.” She squinted against the bright light as he reached for her hand and pulled her along, her feet staggering hesitantly behind him.

The last time she had been allowed outside, and not on a balcony outside, had been years ago. Probably during the transport from their holding facilities to the dollhouse. Had she known that would be her last time she might have taken more time to appreciate the earth beneath her shoes and the wind in her hair.

“Come on, there is something I want to show you.”

Grass crunched beneath her feet for the first time in what felt like forever and Hermione was overcome with emotion as tears prickled at her eyes. The stone patio steps entered into a magnificent garden full of flowers magically in bloom and she stopped to take it all in. She closed her eyes and let the suns rays warm her face. She listened to the birds chirping around her singing a song just for her. Welcoming her back to life. Breathing in the fresh air surrounding her she smelled the sweet scents of gardenia and roses. If there was a silver lining to be found for this entire situation this was it right here. She just wanted to go find a spot in the open grass and lay there for the rest of the day, making up for all the time she had missed.

A gentle breeze blew around her, lifting her curls and carrying them in the wind.

“Magnificent.”

She peeped her eyes open to find Draco watching her intently, marveling in her reaction to this newfound slice of marvelous freedom.

Maybe, just maybe… this would not be all bad. Afterall she had more freedom here than she realized, more than what would have been even conceivable at the Lounge.

_Magnificent indeed._

He held his hand out to her, the sun glinting through his platinum blonde hair in a way that Hermione had never had the luxury of seeing. He gave her his trademark grin as he waited for her to decide what to do. She eyed the proffered arm, and the black ink swirling just beneath the surface.

_Nothing had changed. Not between them._

She confidently placed her hand in his, ignoring his obvious traitorous mark and all and his grin grew to a genuine smile bringing his entire face alight just like the sun filtering through the leaves around them.

She had realized Draco was still Draco. He was still an arrogant and entitled ass at times, but down beneath she could still see the lost soul that had sought her out in the very beginning. He was still the Draco who was willing to stand by her side and find a way to unravel this entire world.

_He had always been a Deatheater._

The fact that he finally told her that he still worked for that vile wizard only confirmed what she had already known.

She smiled back at him almost apologetically. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as his only acknowledgement, instantly putting her back at ease.

_Nothing had changed._

She tugged him back towards her and rested both of her hands against his chest. Lifting onto her toes she brought her mouth mere centimeters from his, their breath mingled in the narrow space between them as their eyes met and held. Unspoken words passed between them, more bits of mutual understanding as she sweetly ghosted her lips across his.

His hand wrapped around her waist holding her more firmly against him. He let out a sigh of relief at the feel of her in his arms. Pressing his lips more firmly into her pillow soft ones he turned her ghost of a kiss into one full of solid promises.

Draco Malfoy thoroughly and completely had sunk his teeth don to her very being. A simple truth proven by the fact the she would practically forgive him of anything.

She breathed him in like air. So desperate to feel grounded once again that she actually let out a whimper when he pulled away slowly backing up with her hands in tow, leading her deeper into the garden.

“Come on, there is still something I want to show you.”

He led her through the main garden, leisurely letting her take it all in and get her bearings. She already could see that she would be spending as much time out here as she could. Her eyes could not settle on a single one thing as each part of the garden was just as brilliant as the last. He pulled her along into a hedge maze and began to navigate its twists and turns just as easily as she could navigate Hogwarts.

“You spent much of your childhood out here didn’t you?” she questioned as he completed turn after turn with the complete confidence that he knew exactly where he was and where he was going.

“ _Much_ is an understatement.” He replied looking back at her with his devilish grin and a wink causing the butterflies in her stomach to take flight.

He continued past the mazes exit and led her around a few more corners before stopping in an area that looked slightly more overgrown than the rest of the hedges surrounding it. She watched with fascination as he pushed his hand into the wall of foliage only to have the branches part before him. Once the whole had grown large enough for them to squeeze through Draco led the way in first.

When Hermione stepped in after her mouth dropped open at the scene before her.

“What is this place?” She wandered the ledges of the little hidden glade and ran her fingers along the trees that seemed to emit a soft iridescent glow.

“This,” Draco sat against the trunk of her tree idly watching her as she surveyed her surroundings, “is my own secret escape. This is the one place I can come to here at the Manor and be completely alone.”

The magic practically shimmered in the air around her. A small brook coming from somewhere within the maze trickled through the hedges to feed a small crystal-clear pool. She quickly realized that the tree was not the only thing surrounding them that appeared to glow, all of the surrounding flowers and shrubs also let off their own soft iridescence. A twinkling fast moving light caught her eye and she followed a little trail of illumination into a dark crevice between two bushes. Parting the leaves, she let out a breathless gasp.

“Draco there are fairies!” she attempted to whisper to not disturb the delicate little winged creature.

He patted the patch of earth beside him, gesturing for her to take a seat beside him. “There are, and if we sit nice and peacefully, they will usually come out to play.”

Hermione almost squealed with excitement as she sidled next to Draco and allowed him to wrap his arm around her shoulder. As she sat there quietly waiting and also just absorbing the peace of the moment, she found herself idly wondering back to what Ginny and the girls were up to. What were they thinking now that she was away?

“Draco?”

“Hmm…”

“How is it that you are the only one who knows about this place? It just seems that after having a home passed down throughout the generations such as the Malfoy estate that someone else surely would have found this by now.”

He simply shrugged. “It beats me Princess. All I know is that I was playing in the maze as a child, attempting to uncover a new path through when I happened along this area and the branches opened allowing me in. I had asked mother about it once, but she dismissed the notion entirely, sure that I was making up my own little fantasy on some childish whimsy. That is when I realized that I may be the only Malfoy still alive who now knew of its existence.” He knew for certain that if his father were aware of this place then he most definitely would have shared it with his mother, just as he was sharing it with Hermione now.

He picked up an errant clover blossom and tossed it her. She quickly batted it away before gracing him with a look of mock irritation.

“So why did you share this with me? If this is your only private place?”

He picked up her hand and began tracing patterns across the top with the tips of his fingers. “Because it can now be _our_ private place.” He paused in thought, looking around before adding, “Also, this is probably a perfect place to continue our time travel experiments. I figure the  
last thing you want to do is get stuck in sometime in the past within the Manor walls itself. This way if we manage to go back further, we may actually get a chance to wander out and explore a little bit.”

She watched him incredulously as he gave a small shrug of his shoulders. He had really put a lot of thought into bringing her here and for that she was profoundly grateful. His ideas were bloody brilliant. Taking another look around to little glen she realized it would be just about the perfect size to continue their work with the ancient mandala. And he was right, if they traveled back in time while outdoors it would be far easier for them to sneak out into the world undetected.

“When?” her anticipation began to grow as she realized the potential possibilities of yet another gift of freedom, he was granting her.

“As soon as we get the chance Princess.”

She pounced then, instantly closing the distance between them and taking him to the ground beneath her. Her lips found his in a passionate fervor. Everyday while it seemed that nothing was going right, he seemed to always do and say just the right things.

“Hermione…” he whispered against her lips.

“Yes?” she refused to remove her mouth from his intent on devouring his lovely broken soul. She could already feel her magical core reaching out searching for his in the abyss.

“Open your eyes.”

As she did so she froze. All around them were little iridescent winged fairies, some perched nearby curiously while others, more daring chose to flutter closer to inspect the new inhabitants. Slowly she sat up, staying cradled between Draco’s legs. He gently cupped her arm in his and held it aloft, until much like a butterfly, one of the curious creatures landed in the palm of her hand.

Too scared to say anything Hermione did her best not to move as she was finally able to take in the tiny being. They were nothing like the fairies out her old storybooks from when she was growing up. These did not appear as miniscule dolls with wings, but rather had sharp elven features and long spindly fingers and toes. The one in her hand could easily be mistaken for a fallen leaf if it so chose. Sensibly so she supposed. She eyed a few of the others fluttering nearby to note that each of them could easily pass for either some sort of flower or leaf, even a few brown and gray ones she assumed were meant to blend with the very trees themselves.

“What brought them here I wonder?” she idly murmured partially to herself and partially to the wizard with his arms and legs encasing her. His chin rested on her shoulder as he watched the fairy in her palm with a calm serenity that told her he was very accustomed to their presence.

“I read once in _‘Fantastic beasts and Where to Find Them’_ that fairies are particularly drawn to places of strong magic.”

“You would have read that somewhere wouldn’t you?” he nipped her shoulder playfully causing her to elicit a small squeak in surprise, but it was enough to cause the fairy to take flight and rejoin its friends in the air around them.

He pulled her back against his chest and they sat there peacefully, allowing the magic of the place to wash over them, almost as though it were attempting to fill in all their broken cracks and missing pieces. It was not long before she felt her eyes grow heavy and she allowed herself to drift off in the protective space that Draco’s arms had come to offer. The sleepless night before finally catching up with her.

Usually when Hermione dreamed these days they were full of blood and screams. But this time she saw a world so very different from her own, a world where Voldemort hadn’t won and Harry was still alive, Ron was still alive. A world exactly as she and Draco envisioned and fully intended to get back.

Hermione was the first to awake from her nap, finding the wizard also passed out against the tree behind her. She supposed whatever he had been up to the night before had taken quite a toll out on him as well.

Standing, she allowed herself to stretch as high as her limbs would carry her before she wandered over to the crystal waters of the pool. She dipped her hand in, wading it around the water. Her thirst now hitting her in full force but she knew better than to tamper with unknown magical resources.

“Don’t worry.” She could hear Draco waking and stretching behind her, “It is safe to drink. Besides,” he glanced at his watch, “we are going to be late for our last stop on this tour of ours.”

The sun had already traveled to the other side of the sky while they had lain hidden in their little corner of the world. She took a deep sigh, looking around the glen one more time longingly before she followed Draco back out of the path through the hedge.

Their next stop, it turned out, ended up being the one thing Hermione though he should have started with first. But, by all means if he had, she was sure they would not have made it anywhere else the rest of the day. Th Malfoy Manor library was and exquisite site to behold. Its multiple stories filled floor to ceiling full of books of every kind she could possibly imagine. A raging fire roared to life at their entrance in the gigantic fireplace at the head of the room. The only library that she had seen even come close to touching the sheer size and volume of the Malfoy’s was perhaps the one at Hogwarts. And to be fair she had practically lived there as well.

As soon as they entered, she found herself once again full of shock and wonder. But unlike in the garden where Draco had taken the lead, this time he followed casually behind Hermione as she trailed through stack after stack of ancient tombs and spells.

“Draco this is… this is glorious. I can’t believe you grew up with this.” She trailed her fingers down the spines of the books as she tried to categorize the layout as best as she could. Her hair bounced around her shoulders with every step. “Look at this! Do you realize this is a first edition of _‘Hogwarts: A history?’_ ”

“Mmm.” Was all she could hear behind her as he dutifully trailed along. Every now and then she thought she could feel the softest of brushes of fingers against the ends of her hair, each time tingles spread from the tip of her scalp to her toes.

She had finally made her way to the second level when Draco made his move. She was hovering over a section of titles that she had only ever seen referenced before in the back of textbooks and had never dreamed of being I the presence of the originals when she felt his body begin to brush up behind hers.

“Draco what are you doing?” she whispered urgently, spinning around to face him on the spot. “This a library…”

“Exactly, Hermione, this is a library.” His eyes darkened as he continued to back her into the shelf of books behind her. “My library to be precise.”

Her heart thundered in her chest at his proximity. “Tell me Hermione, after all those years spent studying at Hogwarts that you never had any… thoughts about what you would like to do,” his hand began to trail up her leg lifting her skirt along the way, “have done to you among the stacks in said library?”

Her eyes widened, her thoughts instantly going back to her many childhood fantasies about what it would be like to be taken in such a place as sacred as her library.

But now they were in his. With only his rules to follow.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear right as his fingers found her slick heat and he applied pressure to that tight little bundle of nerves. “Tell me Princess,” he dipped one finger into her knickers to touch her directly. “What was it that you thought about?”

She opened her mouth and closed it again, startled eyes growing even wider at the thought of confessing her deepest teenage fantasies to the man before her. She gaped at him like a fish as he began slow and torturous brushes against her clit.

His mouth quirked up in that childhood smirk and she felt her knees go weak. “Tell me _who_ it was Princess.” He demanded whilst pressing a demanding kiss unto her, commanding entrance into her mouth as he ravished her.

“Draco… we can’t. What if we are caught?”

“Mmm, doesn’t really matter. Now tell me Granger.” He reverted back to the name he’d called her all throughout childhood instantly shooting a jolt straight to her core. “Who did you dream about taking you in the stacks in the back of Hogwarts?” he dipped a second finger in and this time he slid both deep into her entrance, causing her to clutch at his shoulders as she let out a gasp.

“Admit it Granger. You watched me in the library just as much as I watched you. Tell me you didn’t want this back then and I’ll stop right here and now.”

Letting out a shaky breath she admitted her own dark secret from the past. Yes, she had noticed him watching her from a few tables down, why else would she be so sure to always have a sugar quill to suck on while she studied. She made quick note of the way his eyes had always been drawn to her lips and would lazily raze over the rest of her anytime he though no one else was looking. But she had always been watching, hoping. She had imagined the day many a time when Draco would get up from his table and drag her off to a hidden corner of the school’s library and had his way with her. Of course, those musings, being as naïve as they were had been fairly innocent back then. But that did not mean there weren’t plenty of nights when she had returned from the library only to head straight to her room to handle to situation herself.

She felt him slide her knickers off her hips and to the floor. Leaving her feeling bare and exposed out in the open. He returned to pumping his fingers in and out of her as he watched her with hooded eyes, toying with her while he waited for his answer. The answer he already knew the question to.

“You Draco. It was always you who pulled me into the stacks.”

Pleased he gave her a rewarding press against the bundle of nerves that craved his attention, and her hips rocked against his hand of their own accord.

“And what did I do to you there, Granger? Was it just this?” And he ground his palm against her clit as he curled his fingers deep inside of her.

She shook her head back carelessly from side to side. “No,” her voice cracked everything he was doing to her was too much and not enough all at the same time.

“Show me Princess. Show me what you want.” His own voice came out husky and raw. She knew he was battling control. Just as she knew what she was going to do next was going to push them both over the edge.

She cupped both sides of his face and delved her tongue to meet his, mimicking the rhythm he was creating with his hand. Once she had thoroughly kissed him breathless, she slid her hands to the top of his head and slowly pushed him down to his knees. With one last wicked grin Draco hiked one knee over his shoulder and plunged into her slick folds with the heat of his tongue. He gave one long slow lick up her center causing her to arch her back off the shelf and Draco’s other hand immediately came up to hold her in place.

She did her best to stifle her cries as Draco mercilessly tormented her with his tongue. The smell of old leather and parchment filling her senses kicking her newly fulfilled fantasy into overdrive. She tangled her fingers in the feather soft lock of his hair both pushing him away and pulling him closer at the same time. It would take Draco no time at all to have her calling out his name in sanctitude of the library, both she knew it and he did as well.

She heard the doors to the library open followed by two sets of footsteps making their way into the grand room. She could hear urgent whispering, one a man and the other clearly a woman, and Draco paused in his attentions on her for a moment giving the new arrivals a cursory listen before his eyes roved back up her heated and flushed form, admiring their current physical listening carefully before rolling his shoulders as if to dismiss the newcomers all together.

Hermione could feel her heart pounding anxiously in her chest, a mix of adrenaline, pleasure, and fear of getting caught. She tried to move her leg off of his shoulder, but Draco would have none of it. His heated eyes met hers and what she saw there made her whimper. The sheer ferocity of his intentions was painted there clearly for her to see.

“Draco…” she whispered urgently right before he pushed past her feeble attempts to push him away and renewed his attentions on her with a fervent intensity.

She nearly cried out loud, stopping herself just in time by clamping one hand over her mouth as the wizard on his knees before her continued to devour her with a fierceness that had her arching into his lips, mouth, and tongue. He sucked her sensitive bud between his teeth and she knew she was lost. Both of her hand returned to his head to hold him precisely where he was as she felt the tingles spreading from her toes and up her spine. Her mewls growing louder by the moment as the whispered conversation continued below them somehow oblivious to what was taking place in the very same room.

Draco snaked one hand up her body to clamp in firmly over her mouth while he used his other two push two long digits inside of her weeping channel. She writhed on his face and bit into the hand over her mouth as the waves of pleasure continued to build inside her. He let out a groan, his face still pressed against her, as he gave one last strong pull on her clit sending her careening over the edge. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she arched onto his face while her walls contracted around his fingers. Her teeth biting into the flesh of his hand so hard she was surprised she did not break skin.

He slowly brought her down with long strokes of his tongue against her over sensitive flesh, tasting and cleaning every drop of her orgasm from her before he gently placed her foot back on the ground beside the other. He stood creating a caging her in against the shelf with his arms, eyes wild and still starving before he brought his mouth down upon hers making her taste herself upon him all the while pressing his erection into her abdomen.

“That was almost as good as I’d always imagined Princess. Too bad it never happened sooner.” He confessed as he gently pulled away, leaving the taste of herself on her own lips.

“Mmm…” was the only slightly coherent sound she could manage as she stood there still trying to relearn how to breathe in the walls of his arms in the aftermath of the unspeakable act they had just committed among the ancient tombs surrounding them.

The conversation of the two others in the library stopped the moment they spotted Draco leading Hermione back down the steps. Both Lucius’s and Narcissa’s eyes narrowed in on her disheveled state and Draco’s exceedingly smug grin that he had yet to wipe off his face.

“Mother, father…” Draco’s eyes went from warm to cool the moment he shifted between the two. “I do hope we aren’t intruding on anything important.”

“Not at all, but I dare say I feel that we may be the intruders in the situation at hand.” Lucius’s voice cut across the room as Draco continued to lead her toward the grand library doors.

She felt her face flame and the doors offering her escape into the corridor could not be reached soon enough. She heard Draco give a dry chuckle beside her.

“Not at all father, by all means choose to waltz into whatever room you wish. You know as well as I, that I have permitted you practically free roam over the manor.”

Lucius’s eyes narrowed into slits and Narcissa grasped at his arm beside him, desperately trying to maintain some type of rein on the senior Malfoy.

“My apologies _General_.” He spat out the title like it left a rotten taste in his mouth. “I simply presumed one as essential to the cause as yourself would have much more important tasks at hand than to be gallivanting around all day with the mudblood.” Lucius’s eyes roved over her, darkening with a mix of disgust and desire. “No matter how particularly wanton yours may be...”

Her skin immediately began to crawl under the elder Malfoy’s lascivious glare. Her eyes rapidly darting back between the three Malfoys as she attempted to digest and decipher their words. She had known at some point during the war that Luscious had fallen in standing, but she had not known what that exactly had meant for Draco…

She could feel Draco stiffen beside her at the veiled threat as he continued to usher her out of the room without another word.

With one last look behind her before the doors closed Hermione locked gazes with a curious pair of striking blue eyes belonging to Narcissa. It appeared Hermione was not the only one who was still trying to adjust to the ongoing changes within life at the Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry it’s a little late!


	10. Walk the Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> I walk the line
> 
> I keep a close watch on this heart of mine  
> I keep my eyes wide open all the time  
> I keep the ends out for the tie that binds  
> Because you're mine, I walk the line
> 
> I find it very, very easy to be true  
> I find myself alone when each day is through  
> Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you  
> Because you're mine, I walk the line  
> Because you're mine, I walk the line
> 
> You've got a way to keep me on your side  
> You give me cause for love that I can't hide  
> For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide  
> Because you're mine, I walk the line -Halsey/(Johnny Cash)

Hermione quickly learned the rules of the manor. To put it simply stay out of Astoria’s way. Oddly enough it seemed to be what most everyone who lived there did. It really made her wonder if any of the Malfoys liked their daughter-in-law at all really. She almost felt bad for the witch, her life at the manor seemed to be an extremely lonely one… almost.

When Astoria had any free time she was typically out shopping, spending the Malfoy fortune, and when she was home she could be found abusing some poor house elf who had been unfortunate enough to have been called on to service her. It entirely explained why Draco had ordered dear little Pod to stay out of her sight. It almost seemed as though the witch held some secret personal vendetta against them. Why, Hermione couldn’t even begin to fathom. But the first time she had witnessed her kicking one of the poor defenseless creatures across the room had completely cemented her distaste for the woman.

Draco had officially allowed Pod access to the Manor within her first week of arrival. His only rule that the little elf was only to make his presence known to the two of them and the other elves of course as that could hardly be avoided.

“Miss is angry with the clothes” the little elf was currently bouncing around her room as she readied herself for the day, throwing yet another lacy garment over her shoulder. It was more than obvious that Astoria had been the one to pick out her clothes for around the manor. Her entire wardrobe was full of nothing but dresses and gowns, none of which Hermione had found to be flattering.

At the sound of the little elf’s voice an idea popped into her head.

“Pod!” the exclamation flew from her lips in sudden excitement.

“Yes Miss?” the elf froze mid bounce in the air above her bed, levitating upside down while gazing at her with his big green orbs.

“Are all of my things still back at the penthouse? My clothes and such I mean?”

“Yes Miss. Pod keeps everything just as you likes it for whenever you is tired of the mean Mrs. and ready to come back.”

_Fantastic!_

“Could you be a dear and do me a favor? I need something to wear and absolutely none of these will do.” She gestured around the room at the mess she had made while digging recklessly through all the drawers. “I need something reasonable and comfortable. Some denims and a jumper would do quite nicely. Oh, and some sensible shoes as well, my trainers would do well!”

The little elf nodded enthusiastically before popping away to fulfill her request. Now all she had to do was simply wait for his return.

Draco had told her they had plans to finally make good use of the little grove hidden within the garden and she was doing her best to find something practical to wear, and the dolled up nonsense in her room just simply wasn’t cutting it. Sighing she walked over to the window to wait just in time to catch the arrival of a certain brown haired, wide shouldered wizard as he approached through the gates.

She pressed both of her hands against the glass as excitement flooded through her at the prospect of finally seeing another familiar and friendly face. She bounced on her toes in anticipation and almost as though Theo could feel her eyes upon him from the many stories above, his face turned up to hers and his big toothy grin glinted in the light before he continued to make his way up the front steps to the manor doors.

Letting out a small squeal of delight Hermione dashed out of her room and down the hall, heading to where she presumed Draco would be greeting his guest as her long heavy skirt billowed behind her. Skidding around the corner eager to see her friend once more and curious to know if he had any word of Ginny and the rest of the girls.

She drew up just short of the parlor as voices trickled out of one of the many adjoining doors, the only one that had remained open just a crack.

“Oh, Theodore what a pleasant surprise!” a shiver ran up Hermione’s spine at the sickly sweet voice of the young Mrs. Malfoy. “I don’t believe we were expecting you this morning. Had I known I would have prepared something.”

Hermione crept silently closer to the door, being sure to avoid detection. While she was sure Draco and Theo would be more than happy to see her presence, she was just as equally sure that Astoria would not.

“Ah, yes. Well my dear Astoria, as these things often go, your surprise does not surprise me at all.” Peeking through the gap in the door she saw Theo take a seat in an armchair, dropping a briefcase down beside him.

“You, Astoria, may not have known of Mr. Nott’s arrival this morning, but seeing as how I’m the one who owled him, was made keenly aware.” Draco settled into a chair nearby, chuckling at his wife’s expense. “You would do wise to remember to not speak for the both of us in the future. Theo can I offer you something to drink?”

The still standing witch, who had plastered on her usual smile reserved for such fake pleasantries, had eyes that burned with rage at her husband’s open disregard for her in front of their company.

“A cup of tea if you would.” The brunette wizard’s eyes glanced up at Astoria expectantly, waiting for her to remove herself from the room to fetch the requested libation.

“Topsy!” Astoria’s favorite elf of the week apparated into the room with a pop, bowing low.

“Yes, masters? How can Topsy be of service?”

“Be a dear and fetch a tea service for three.”

“Right away ma’ams.” The elf popped away only to return mere moments later with a full tea setup, biscuits included for the two wizards and singular witch in the room.

Hermione watched as Theo lifted an eyebrow in Draco’s direction as he leaned forward dropping two sugars into his saucer.

It seemed ridding themselves of Astoria was not going to be that easy after all. Hermione had to give it to the witch for her tenacity. It never seemed to get under her skin to be somewhere where she was clearly not wanted, either that or she was truly that obtuse to it all.

Taking a seat on the divan across from the two, Astoria smoothed out her robes. “So, Theo, what business brings you here this morning? If I recall correctly the last time we saw each other you were quite indisposed.” The blonde with took a very prim sip of her tea, her eyes shooting daggers in her guest’s direction.

_Ah, so not obtuse at all. Simply obstinate with a refusal to be cowed in her own home._

Theo smirked, taking a sip of his own drink before volleying his response. “Ah well, if I remember correctly you were quite out of sorts yourself Story.” He shot her a devilish wink and Hermione almost feared for his life from her position of safety behind the door. “And what brings me here is man’s business, I wouldn’t dream of boring your dainty little mind with something so trivial.”

Astoria sat in her seat seething, eyes down, trained on the cup and saucer rattling in her hands before she placed it delicately in her lap.

“Well yes, of course, it is not as though that situation will be happening again now is it?”

She saw Draco’s back stiffen in his chair, ready to pounce on Astoria if need be. Not unlike a lion tamer always ready to reign in his beast.

“Ah yes, I had learned of that.” Theo’s voice no longer held it playful tone and he set his own cup down on the end table beside him. “And to think you would just happen to find yourself barren Astoria? I mean what are the odds?” His eyes bore into her as hers shot up to his sharply with an almost imperceptible intake of air. “And who pray tell was your attending mediwitch? I am quite interested to learn more about their educational background and perhaps even explore his findings… you know one medical professional to another.”

 _Theo was a mediwitch himself?_ She had had no idea.

“I was quite surprised to learn when Draco told me that you had discovered that you were barren that you had so adamantly refused my offer at a second opinion.” He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees as he continued to stare down the witch whose eyes were now filled with panic across from him.

_And what was this about Astoria refusing his second opinion? I wonder why…_

“Why is that I wonder?”

Draco sat that watching the exchange stonily reading the panic written all over Astoria’s face as it just as quickly morphed into tears of hysterics.

“Draco! I can’t believe you’d let him talk to me in such a way. And about that of all things! We both know how sensitive I feel about it, of course I did not want another doctor getting my hopes up only to tell me the bad news all over again!” She wailed across the room. Hermione would be surprised if the entire household hadn’t heard her cries, but then again, that was probably her intention all along.

“Astoria…” Draco’s voice was a low warning, but she waved him off.

“No, no. I think I shall leave. I’m in no state to host company at this moment.”

_Oh barmey! She needed a place to hide and fast before she became the target of the mad witch’s frustrations again. That would surely put a damper on their day’s plans._

Hermione looked around the hall frantically trying to find a place to hide as Astoria’s rapidly approaching footsteps grew ever louder. She slid behind an oversized statue of a dark and twisted angel the moment Astoria flung through the door to the sitting room.

“How dare he! How dare they?! And Draco just sitting by with that self-indulgent smirk while he allowed his friend to call me a liar to my very own face. In my house none the less.” She rampaged the entire way down the hall, her face mottled with rage but not a single evidence of a tear. She muttered just low enough so that the wizards in the room could not hear a word she spoke, except for Hermione. She caught it all from her pace within the shadows. “It’s mans’ business.” She mimicked in an exceptionally high tone, “I will show him… I’ll show both of them. No one crosses Astoria Malfoy. Nobody!”

_Interesting…_

A hysterical bubble of laughter followed the blonde witch down the hall as Hermione slid out from her place of hiding. Taking one last look after the crazed witch in sheer astonishment, she moved to open the door and join the two men sitting within. Draco and Theo were holding their own whispered conversation when she discreetly closed the door behind her.

“Well that was pretty bold of you Theodore.” She stood before the men placing her hands on her hips as she forced her features into a stern mask. “I did not know you were a healer.”

Theo’s face lit up upon her arrival and he immediately stood crossing the space between them before tucking her body into his massive frame.

“Ah, love, but some things need to be voiced. Wouldn’t you agree?” he pulled her back holding her by the shoulders as his warm brown eyes searched her own inquisitively and she let her mask fall away and truly gave him a smile.

She really was happy to see him, honestly, she would be happy to see just about anybody at this point.

“All of what you said…” she cast her eyes to Draco he looked studiously at the cup in his hands before meeting the caramel eyes of the wizard before her once again. “Was it true?”

“Come sit down Hermione.” It was a command, not a request, but not before Theo nodded in answer. She took her place on the arm of Draco’s chair. He placed his hand on her knee with a sigh. “We can’t know anything for certain.”

“Like hell we can’t Draco! You and I both know she’s fabricated this whole ordeal.” Theo plopped back down unceremoniously in his chair.

“We would.” Draco growled, “Had a certain someone not reacted rashly without my permission alerting her to my plan.” He turned his face up to hers, an unspoken apology hidden in his crystal gray depths. “I had originally planned on having mother corner into getting a second opinion, a surprise visit from the family’s usual healer… but somebody else had other plans.”

“How many times do I have to keep apologizing?” Theo leaned back in his chair, legs spread wide as he roved his hand over his face.

“Theo here, got a little… impassioned.”

The wizard across from her narrowed his eyes into slits. “And you didn’t? You actually contemplated murdering the conniving bitch.”

Draco actually laughed. “Like you wouldn’t have helped. You’re my right-hand man for a reason. Speaking of did you bring what I asked you for?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Hermione watched as Theo reached down and patted the briefcase on the ground beside him. “It’s all here. The crystals and the crushed moon stone.”

She turned to Draco with alarm. Just how much of this was Theo in on? As far as she knew it had only been the two of them who knew about their plans for time travel and Draco involving Theo could throw an unexpected wrench in things.

“Theo if you are a healer, why did Draco call on you to bring him this?” she gestured towards the briefcase before them.

He leaned back in his chair with a wicked grin. “Let’s just say among being a healer, I am also a purveyor of _things_.”

She looked at him skeptically, surely he was joking. However… he had brought the items Draco had requested without question.

“Why you requested these things so urgently is beyond me, but who am I to judge.” The wizard sitting across from them shrugged and Hermione felt the tension leave her body. “But tell me one thing?”

“What’s that mate?”

“Tell me you’re being careful.” Head nodding in her direction and continued, “Tell me you’re taking all the precautions you can to keep her safe until this is all sorted out. And you know exactly what I’m talking about Draco.”

Letting out a mirthless chuckle, he sighed. “Believe me, you don’t know the excruciating half of it.”

_Oh. OH!_

Hermione felt the blush creep into her cheeks as she realized the rapid turn the conversation had taken. Draco, who was much sullener and broodier than normal, was being careful, practically to a fault. They had learned upon her arrival that not only would she be monitored for contraceptive charms, but she was also to take weekly fertility potions as well, thus highly improving her odds of conceiving the next Malfoy heir. Or they would anyway if he would touch her, but Draco was adamant that he could not come near her until they had found at least a way around the contraceptive charms themselves. When she had asked him why, he had simply told her it was another thing she would have to trust him on. Well easier said than done when he still couldn’t keep his hands off of her, and while all the other things they could do were nice…wonderful even, she relished their little stolen moments in the nooks and crannies of the manor when he snuck her away for his illicit purposes. Nothing truly compared to the real thing. The feel of his body pressed against hers, sliding inside her, filling her so wholly and completely until they were both utterly lost in the sensations.

She squeezed her legs together uncomfortably and Theo gave her a knowing look. Draco cleared his throat.

“She is safe, I assure you.”

“If by safe, you mean safe from Draco… then yes. Unfortunately... I am very safe.” She rolled her eyes, honestly, she was just as frustrated as he was by this point. Even now as Draco’s thumb drew small circles on her inner knee with his thumb, she had to fight back visible shivers from his touch.

Chuckling Theo stood offering Draco the briefcase.

“Apologies love, I would offer my services.” He threw her a wink, “but there are new rules in place now. The lovely Mrs. made sure to that.” He lifted her hand and placed a very enticing kiss upon the back of it, this too sent a shiver straight to her core.

Draco growled beside her, causing a smirk to bloom on her face. She made a show of looking the well-toned man before her up and down.

She truly did love Theodore’s ruthless sense of humor. Especially when it was at a particular blonde haired, silver eyed Malfoy’s expense.

“How unfortunate.” She winked back and Draco blustered by her side. He immediately rose in his seat, clearly ready to escort the other wizard out of the room. He looked down at Hermione giving her a look that clearly said she had better stay put and she couldn’t help but to giggle.

_Jealousy truly was a good look on him._

The two men exited the room together, but not before Theo gave her one last grand bow.

“Until next time my dear. Perhaps the conditions won’t be quite as restricting and maybe we could have some real fun again.”

The implications of his statement had memories flashing before her eyes. Of Theos large hand wrapped tightly around her neck as he commanded her to come for the two of them. She felt herself flush and her eyes darken at the thought. Draco, having none of it, grabbed Theo by the arm and commenced to dragging him down the hall. Hermione offered the delicious brunette a coy wave with her fingers as he disappeared around the corner.

Good heavens Draco was truly a sex god come to life, but Theodore Nott… that man was trouble. Far too dangerous to remain single. She allowed her mind to wander once again back to that evening, the first time he had touched her with such care, and then the second time when she thought she had been in control, but truly had been entirely at the mercy of Theo and Draco’s every whim. The things they had done to her body that night, things she had not even put into fantasies they had seemed so depraved… but now the mere memory had her knickers completely soaked.

Moments later the door slammed, startling her from her reverie and causing her to jump from the arm of her chair. Her eyes locked on Draco’s imposing figure as he purposefully prowled toward her. Her mouth instantly went dry and her knees turned to jelly at the feral look in his eyes, before she knew it she found herself fully seated in the chair, her knees tucked to her chest protectively. Her eyes tracked his every move, every bunch of his muscles as he drew ever near, his eyes were so dark she could hardly see the gray depths she so adored.

“Unfortunate is it?” He leaned into her, his arms entrapping her in her seat. His knuckles gripped the armrest so tightly that they were white, and his biceps bulged. He brought his face closer to hers, refusing to break eye contact and she could feel the air crackling around him. “Hermione?” his voice was laced with an edge of danger and it instantly sent a jolt` of excitement coursing through her.

_No. No. They had rules now…_

“Draco…I” she stammered, losing her words as his mouth drew closer, and she found herself licking her lips in anticipation.

His breath fanned across her face and her eyes fluttered shut. With a growl he shoved her legs down, away from her torso leaving her feeling suddenly exposed. He used his leg to part her knees and crowded her space even further, causing her skirt to ride up to her knees.

His nose nuzzled her neck, followed by a languid sweep of his tongue and she let out a moan. He bit down and she let out a cry her hands coming up to tangle in his hair.

_This was okay, right? They were not breaking any rules._

_Yet…_

“Draco.” his name tumbled from her lips in a murmur and she felt him chuckle against her throat. The chair dipped as his knee found purchase between her legs and using one hand, he gripped her exposed knee before sliding it up the folds of the material pooling around her middle. His fingers quickly finding what he was searching for, he let out a sharp hiss.

“Tell me Princess, just what were you thinking about that got you this worked up.”

His fingers skated along the front of her knickers, feeling the entirety of her slick heat and the wetness that had seeped through.

He gripped her waist and pulled her closer to the edge of the chair, giving her another sharp nip.

She could honestly tell him that the memory of Theo and him taking her together had brought her to this point, but that would be a partial lie. To be honest, the moment he had laid his hand on her earlier she had instantly felt core begin to weep.

One of his long fingers pressed down against her swollen button, that bundle of nerves that he knew would drive her crazy and get her to tell him just about anything he wanted to hear. Her hips instantly rocked into his touch.

“Hermione…” he asked again, his voice edged in warning.

“You, you and Theo… everything.” The words came out in a breathless gasp as she squirmed in his grip and she felt him pull her ever closer to him.

His mouth came down upon hers and he slid his hand down the front of her soaked knickers, his fingers delving inter her core. She let out an audible gasp and Draco took advantage of the opening and swept his tongue inside her mouth. He let out a groan as she moaned beneath him. He spread her legs wider with his own and pulled her hips to rock against the erection bulging beneath his pants, her ankles automatically locking around his hips.

Before she knew what had happened, she felt her panties tear away and her eyes shot open. Draco’s breath was coming out in heavy pants matching her own. Her eyes locked with his, and she realized just how far past safe they were. He brought his lips back to hers, kissing her with a reckless abandonment. Her hands instantly wound around his neck and he ground his hips into her again.

Pulling his mouth away he took in deep gulps of air.

“Princess… tell me to stop.”

She knew she had to, needed to… but good heavens it was the last thing she _wanted_ to do.

“Draco.” She murmured, her hands reaching for his waist, his hips, finding the hard length of him and stroking him with her hand.

He let out a hiss, his hips bucking into her palm with every stroke.

“Oh gods, fuck Draco…” her heels dug into his back side pulling him closer to where she so desperately needed him.

“Damn it, Hermione… Fuck, I’m not going to be able to stop if you keep doing this.”

And there in was the problem. They had to stop. The alternative was not an option, not anymore. All of the doses of fertility potion she was subjected to had ensured of that. But Merlin’s beard she wanted him so desperately. Even she was not sure if she could stop at this point.

She pulled his head back down to hers and kissed him fiercely, her tongue battling with his for dominance. She heard the sound of his belt being undone, quickly followed by the zip of his trousers.

_Damn. Damn, damn, damn!_

His weight pressed her into the chair as he ground against her, his erection almost entirely free of the confines of his pants.

“Hermione…” her name tumbled against her lips in a plea as he continued to rut against her.

_He was lost and she knew it. But so was she._

She pulled him closer knowing she needed to push him away, she could feel Draco teetering on the edge and knew that whatever she decided it was now or never.

She groaned, pulling her mouth away from his. “Draco… stop.” The last word spilled from her mouth with so much regret. There was nothing she wanted more than to carry this further with the blonde wizard who had captured her so entirely.

He stilled above her, letting out a dejected sigh of his own. His forehead pressed into hers, his pupils so wide there was no silver to be found. She gently pushed at him, worried that she may have been to late in her decision.

He stood slowly, pushing off the chair leaving her behind breathless and bare for him to see. Raking his hands through his hair he let out a strangled groan of anguish and turned away from her walking a few paces across the room before redoing his trousers.

Taking advantage of the fact that his back was turned Hermione rose as well, flattening her skirt against her legs and righting her shirt. She was not entirely sure if he turned and still saw her there laying in wait that he would be able to stop no matter what she said.

“Hermione,” his voice cracked huskily, causing him to clear his throat. “Hermione we should get to work.”

She nodded silently, running her hands over her hair, looking anywhere but at the man in front of her.

The maze’s little hidden grove greeted them as it always did. The shrubbery pulling back just enough to allow the two of them to pass through into its mystical depths. Hermione still found the magical energy radiating from this part of the garden nearly overwhelming. Yet she still sighed as she felt the air brush against her toying with her hair in familiar greeting, all the tension she was carrying suddenly melting away. She looked over to Draco to find that he to seemed to be able to breathe freely once again as well.

Their entire walk there neither had said a word to each other. The memory of what had almost happened in the drawing room playing on constant repeat in both of their minds. Frustration and desperation had hung in the air between them like a thick blanket trapping in way too much heat. She had almost been sure at any moment one of them was going to pull the other into a hidden alcove of the maze and say to hell with it. However, at least this time she was not wearing a skirt.

She had personally never been more grateful to Pod than she had upon her quick return to her room to grab the book of ancient runes to also find that the elf had set a bag at the foot of her bed. It had been full of all of her favorite articles of clothing, even the things she had liked to lounge around the suite in prior to her transition to the manor, and next to it, her favorite pair of trainers.

This is not to say that this would entirely stop anything from happening between the pair of them, but it was leaps and bounds better than her wearing a skirt. Where one may be tempted to simply hike it up above her hips and take advantage. Not that she would not be an entirely willing participant, but it acted as some deterrent none the less. However, she could not help but notice the way his eyes constantly watched the way the pair of jeans hugged her bottom perfectly.

Fairies sat idly by, curiously watching the pair as they made quick work of the mandala, having made it once before this second time went by much faster. Not to mention that the two of them had practically memorized the entire spell by this point, the two of them having spent hours poring over the spell’s contents looking for various ways to add to its longevity. This time Hermione was sure she had found a minor tweak that would extend their distance in time further, but how far she couldn’t be sure.

“How far back?” Draco asked her, glancing between her and at their nearly completed work in the grass.

All that was left were the various blood runes. And, if their calculations were correct, when mixed with high levels of sodium fluoride should preserve their spilled blood, thus increasing the longevity of the spell.

Fisting her hips, she stared down at the mandala studiously. The memory of their last trip and the aftermath running through her mind. Hopefully, this time it wouldn’t be a problem, but still better to play it safer this go around. Mind finally made up she met the eyes of the wizard before her.

“Two days.”

“Two days?”

She nodded her confirmation and he easily acquiesced, no further explanation or reasoning needed from her. He completely understood the risks when it came to tampering with spells and that a safe trial run was best at this point in their journey.

Draco Malfoy may be a lot of things, but stupid was definitely not one of them.

“Alright then, let's get to it.” He produced the same silver blade they had used before, slicing both of their palms open before each returned to their prospective positions. They circled the diagram, drawing their respective runes in tandem on the field just as they had back in his old office. Just like before, by the time they were done the entire area around them was aglow and the air around them ceased all movement, even the fairies around them were frozen mid-flight.

They both glanced around the glen in awe, the wonder that they were actually capable of ceasing time still not lost on them. They met each other in the middle, and just like the first time Draco took her hands with the blood stones and dripped them over the chalice mixing their blood with the chemical already placed in the bottom of the chalice. They waited needlessly with baited breaths, for just a last time, the world around them began to spin backwards, moving around them yet leaving them behind.

When time stopped moving and everything came back to focus once more they stood standing in the same grove, hidden from the manor and any prying eyes, said for the tiny little fairies who had burst into frantic flights at their sudden appearance.

She turned to Draco with a wide and stupid grin, “It worked!”

“Obviously, it worked.” He pulled her into his arms placing a kiss on the top of her head, she could feel him smiling into her hair pleased with their success. “You are the brightest with of our age are you not?”

She swatted at him playfully, still unable to wipe the self-satisfied grin from her face. She had been so worried that tampering with the ancient spell in anyway would negate its time travel properties, but her worries, it seemed, had been completely unfounded.

“So, what now?” she asked practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. The possibilities of what they were accomplishing were rapidly becoming endless, and soon she felt they would be ready to try to take on their end goal.

“Now, Princess, we go wherever you would like to go.”

“What?” Her wide caramel eyes turned to him in surprise.

“Well…” his hands were shoved in his pockets as he looked up at the sky. “There are currently two of us somewhere around here in this timeline accounted for, correct?”

She nodded mutely.

“That means we are technically free agents while we are here and can do practically anything we please. Now I can’t apparate us within the wards of the manor, but….”

His voice trailed away in the background as the implications of what he was saying finally dawned on her. Of course, they were free to go, do, whatever they pleased. They were extra beings in this plane. The thought that she would actually get to leave, as a free woman had  
never occurred to her.

Her head began to buzz with anticipation as Draco continued explaining the best and safest routes out of the manor to avoid being seen.

“London!” she blurted out interrupting him midsentence.

“What?”

“I want to go to London, muggle London of course. That is obviously the safest place for us to not be recognized by anyone,” she turned her eyes pleadingly to the blonde wizard. “Please Draco! I haven’t been back to London in such a long time.”

He genuinely smiled then, reaching for her hand. “London it is then.”

Hand in hand he led her through a back path out of the maze to a part of the garden that was bordered by the forest. The entire time Hermione felt as though her heart would explode with excitement. Once there he found a small gate that let them out of the estate and into the  
cover of the trees. They walked for several minutes more through the crowded foliage before Draco stopped, turning to her expectantly.

“This should be far enough outside of the wards. Are you ready?” he asked her, his tone was serious. He understood that it had been nearly half a decade since the last time Hermione was allowed any semblance of freedom. There was no way she was not feeling some type of trepidation about the distance they were about to travel, free at last.

She hesitated only for a moment, unsure of what would be there to greet her on the other side. Only for a moment though, she had to go, she had to see, to know.  
What was the rest of the World doing while she had been stuck inside a brothel for five years?

Hermione nodded her head, and all at once she felt the old telltale pull at her naval of side along apparition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Apologies this is late. If you haven’t hit up my tumblr yet you may catch on to why, I dropped a sneak peek of a future chapter that just had to come out before I could write anything else! So fun to come. Also, a big thanks to my alpha @realjane(AO3) or TheSuperJane(Tumblr) if it wasn’t for her you may not be getting this chapter quite yet, as this she recommended be split into two.  
> Also I live, breathe, and eat for your comments! (but seriously I do write for them) I’d love to know what you think 😊


	11. Can't Carry This Anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie. 
> 
> I Can’t Carry This Anymore
> 
> You can probably see right through me  
> 'Cause I can promise if you knew me  
> You would probably walk away  
> No you wouldn't want to stay
> 
> Oh, Mama said gonna be all right  
> But mama don't know what it's like in my mind  
> Mama said that the sun gon' shine  
> But mama don't know what it's like to want to die
> 
> I can't carry this anymore  
> Heavy from the hurt inside my veins  
> I can't carry this anymore  
> Wonder what it's like to be okay
> 
> I know I'll be fine it's just that  
> Every time this comes back  
> Tell my maker up above that  
> I have had enough and
> 
> I can't carry this anymore  
> Heavy from the hurt inside my veins  
> I can't carry this anymore  
> Wonder what it's like to be okay – Anson Seabra

Draco landed them in an isolated ally, more than a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. Far enough to avoid any potential passing wizards who would easily recognize them out and about. Still holding her hand clasped in his he led her towards the ally’s entrance hardly giving her time to acclimate from her first side along apparition in years.

The moment Hermione stepped out she was met with a strong cool gust of wind that lifted her hair, spinning the errant strands about her face. As she looked around the scene before her, the smile on her face gradually began to falter. It was a remarkably dismal gray day, but for London this would not be particularly out of the ordinary, but everything else that Hermione did see made her feet stop in their tracks. The scene before her was eerily quiet, the hustle and bustle of city life entirely gone. Old parked and abandoned cars lined the street and boards covered many of the businesses’ windows.

_And the people, where were the people?_

The few she saw kept their heads ducked down low as they hurried about trying to get to their destinations as quickly as possible, very few slipped in and out of business doors attending to usual everyday errands.

The streets were littered with paper, many blowing down the street caught in the wind, others were taped to lamp posts and stop signs, all saying the same thing _‘Have you seen this person?’ ‘Missing’... ‘Lost’._ She stared at the pictures of the young and old alike, all the victims of Voldemort’s world, turning she found so many, many more plastered along the sides and windows of the buildings. Faces of peoples’ missing or dead loved ones stared back at her everywhere she turned.

Tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. She had not known what she had expected, but it certainly had not been this. This city of death and decay.

“Draco, why didn’t you tell me?” her voice was a whisper but sounded loud in the silence surrounding them. It shrouded them like a cloak, blocking out all hopes and dreams, suffocating any dregs of happiness it could find.

“What?” he turned to look at her then, a confused expression on his face.

“This… this Draco, is not London.”

“Of course, it is. You said you wanted to go to muggle London and here we are.” He spread his arm wide gesturing around them. “Like I wouldn’t know how to get to London?”

He stepped closer to her then a smile still on his face at finally seeing Hermione out and free to do as she pleased. That was when he saw it, the look of complete shock on her face, the tears brimming in her eyes. Reaching out with one hand he caught one of the tiny droplets of moisture, brushing it away with his thumb as he cupped her face.

“Princess, what’s wrong? I thought you would be happy.”

“Draco, how? How can I be happy?” She pulled her face from his leaving his hand feeling cold and empty. “Look at this place, look at what has happened to it.”

Turning ever so slightly he glanced around them. Sure, there had been some definite changes, but that was to be expected when there was a war and their side won.

“Would you like to go somewhere else?” he questioned, still unsure as to what was really going on. “We could go to Paris or even Italy. There are some amazing beaches in Croatia.” Hell, he would take her anywhere she wanted to go if only she would smile again. It was as though all the enthusiasm she had held back at the forest at Wiltshire had been instantly sucked out of her the moment they landed in that little tucked away ally.

Nodding somberly, she wiped yet another errant tear from her face with the back of her hand.

“I want to go to Hampstead.”

_Hampstead? But Hampstead was here, in London, just maybe a ten minutes’ walk from where they were. How was that even considered a change of scenery, if London hadn’t pleased her, surely Hampstead would be no better._

“Are you sure? Again Hermione, you are out. We can go anywhere you please.”

“Yes, I am aware Malfoy.”

 _Malfoy?_ Draco racked his mind trying to remember the last time she had refused to use his given name, wondering possibly what he could have done in these few short moments to have earned this regression.

“And right now, it would please me to go to Hampstead.” Her tone was hard and brittle, yet still spoken just barely above a whisper.

He let out a deep sigh and held out his hand for her to take again. “Fine, I will apparate us to Hampstead.”

“No.” she looked down at his offered hand, shoving her own deep into her back pockets. “I think I would prefer to walk, if that’s quite alright?”

Baffled, he simply nodded, before following her down the street.

They walked along in silence, much like the very few passersby they passed. Every now and then Hermione would stop in front of a various building and tears would fill her eyes once again before she would shake them away and continue on their journey.

Draco walked silently, dutifully beside her. Every now and then she would catch him casting her worried glances out of the corner of her eye, but only when he thought she was not looking. Hermione had wanted to scream.

The world that she had known and loved growing up as a child had all but been destroyed, and here she was walking along with a man who could not even grasp why this would be problematic to her.

_‘Let’s go to Paris.’ He had said. She almost wanted to punch him again, just like that time in third year. How could he be so cold, unfeeling… so callous? Worst of all, how could he have not warned her of this?_

Sorrow slowly began to simmer into rage as they continued on their journey to Hampstead. Every time Hermione passed a broken-down building that had once been flourishing and thriving. Every time she saw the piles of trash lining the sidewalks leaving the city smelling repugnant as the rats scurried about more than the people. Every time another face found hers from the flat black and white printouts, the lifeless eyes staring back at her from the motionless images, the messages left behind from those who held them dear once upon a time. Hermione simmered, something inside of her coming to life while simultaneously pulling her down into despair and hopelessness.

Draco did not try to touch her, for that she was grateful, she no longer knew how she would react or even if she had the control in her left to not lash out impulsively. She led him through the winding, desolate streets until she was in a place that was all too familiar, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart began to pound in anticipation as she drew nearer.

Draco had no idea as to where she was taking him, or why this place was deemed so important. All he knew was that the closer they got to Hampstead the more anxious the witch seemed to become. What he did know was that for some ungodly reason, his witch was in distress and he did not know how to fix it. His simple plan of taking her out to have some peace and freedom, to be away from their world for as long as the spell could last, had entirely backfired on him.

He shook his head, eyes downcast before him. It never seemed that he could do anything right as far as she was concerned. The witch was an absolute puzzle to him, and he was no closer to breaking the code than he had been the first day he met her back at Hogwarts. Surely, he’d thought by now he would have had some simple understanding, but the complexities of Hermione Granger ran long and deep. She was so much more than the world had given her credit for, she was more than Harry Potter’s smart sidekick, hell now she was even beyond the title of the brightest witch of her age. With all they had accomplished in such a short time, most of it due to her superior intellect he was sure, she was a miraculous wonder. One that ran hot one day and cold the next, never seeming to really come to terms with their arrangement.

What baffled Draco the most was when had he really started caring. At what point had this witch, whom he’d very much abused and manipulated into going along with his scheme become more than just a pawn to him? More than just a means to the end… childhood feelings be damned, he had a bigger picture, and somehow Hermione Granger had painted herself firmly in it.

She stopped on a quiet neighborhood street, he could tell that once upon a time it would have been a beautiful place, he could easily imagine families walking down the sidewalk, kids playing in the nearby park and the life that would have flourished happily here. But now many of the houses were run down nearing dilapidation, the yards over-grown and unkept, lights peeking out between the boards of the windows hiding the life that was still moving inside.

With a strangled sound Hermione stared across the street. The house, once a lovely shade of blue now had the paint peeling and chipping away to reveal the worn boards underneath. The shutters that had been painted white were dingy, and in need of a good cleaning to clear away the grime, many of which hung haphazardly having come unhinged. Grass had practically taken over the walk to the front door and the garden her mother had planted, gardenias and rose bushes, was overrun with weeds.

She sat on the graffitied bench. The one she had spent so many summers on just watch the people in her neighborhood and reading her books. The peace that she used to find in this place no longer in existence. A family moved about inside, every now and then she could catch glimpses of the people through the cracks in the curtains. She followed their forms as they moved about room to room, her eyes being drawn to the light up on the second level, vaguely she could see a small figure moving around in the room that had once offered her so much solace.

There were no tears. She had been preparing herself for this the entire walk from London proper. If she were to be honest it was in much better condition than she had feared.

A loud creak on the bench signifying the moment Draco decided to take a seat beside her and she stilled herself, waiting for the multitude of questions he must have for her… about why she had brought him to this spot in particular. But none came, even as she waited with bated breath, he continued to sit there silently beside her, letting her take all the time she needed.

As he sat there beside her in silence, Hermione never once tearing her eyes away from the house or them he began to get a sinking feeling that he might know exactly why they were here. He found his own eyes following the silhouettes of the figures as they flitted about room to room, his mind ever wandering and curious as to who exactly he wasn’t seeing through his obstructed view. He knew this was not the time to ask, no matter how much it irked him to do so, he gave the witch her space as she stared vacantly in front of her, a wide array of emotions passing through her soft amber eyes the longer they sat there.

It must have been hours that they stayed in what turned to a companionable silence as the streetlights began to flicker on above the odd pair, sitting on an old bench in the middle of a neighborhood they clearly had no business being. The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon, causing a chill to creep into his bones, but for her he ignored it all.

“This was my home once.” A voice so soft he almost didn’t hear her. Her voice was hollow and flat. “A lifetime ago my mother and I planted those roses by the window. My father taught me to ride my first bike on this very street.”

Hermione’s voice, so meek and tired, had finally broken the silence hanging in the air between them. All with the simple confirmation of his earlier suspicion.

He watched as she wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. Then he looked back to the house they had been watching for hours now. This had been her childhood home. He was sure once the home had been cute and cozy, perfect for what Hermione had just described.

“Is that who we are watching now? We could go and knock on their door…” he couldn’t see the harm in letting her see her family once again for a while, rules of interaction be damned. Anything to make her quiet tears stop.

She sniffled and shook her head despondently. “No. I… I sent them away before the war to keep them safe. Even if they were in there, they wouldn’t know who I was.”

At that he shot a look at her curiously, unsure of what she meant.

_How could they possibly not know who their daughter was? He knew she had been away for quite some time, but even for muggles that should not be long enough for them to forget their daughter._

At his confused look Hermione chuckled mirthlessly.

“During the war, back in the summer after sixth year, I wiped their memories of me before sending them away to Australia. For all intents and purposes Michael and Helen Granger do not have a daughter.”

Draco didn’t quite know what to say. That was something he could not fathom. During the war, the witch beside him had essentially orphaned herself, for their protection.

“That was most likely for the best.”

He knew that that had to have caused her great pain to do, something he had not even considered as a possibility for anyone, yet alone himself. To perform such a wholly selfish act…

“I know.” She nodded, wiping away yet another escaped bead of liquid at the memory. “I had no way of knowing how much danger they were going to be in because of me. I also didn’t know if I would ever make it back to them. The thought of them having to deal with so much  
pain and heartache because of me, and the risks I had to take.” She shook her head again, turning her eyes to his, “It was just something I could not bear. It was a risk I couldn’t take.”

She was shivering, whether it was from the cold or simply the pain of her memories Draco could not be sure. But either way he did not care, not as his witch was clearly in pain. Reaching an arm across the space between them he pulled her body tightly to his, murmuring a warming charm just for good measure. At first, he worried she was going to fight him, but after a moment the tense muscles in her body relaxed and she curled into his side, letting her tears flow freely.

_He could not bring himself to tell her that she had most likely saved her parents’ lives._

Draco had a clear recollection of the day the Dark Lord realized the trio had gone missing rather than returning to school for their seventh year. Mad with rage, the wizard had ordered everyone to find them, and when that couldn’t be done, he wanted everyone and anyone of importance of the trio to be found and brought to him. It had only furthered his rage more when he realized he had been too late in his order, aside from the Weasleys, everyone else’s family had been nowhere to be found.

Instead of voicing what he was sure the tiny bushy haired witch in his arms surely already knew, he held her tighter as she sobbed within his arms. An ache blooming in his chest just for her. All that she had done, all that she had endured, and somehow here she was still moving forward. Still fighting alongside him to right those wrongs. He owed her so much more than he realized. He could not fathom the type of strength she must have, making him realize he loved her all the more. Making him realize that even if he hadn’t hated the way the war had turned out he would burn it all down just for her.

“Hermione.” He murmured her name into the top of her head, the curls there tickling at his nose as her scent washed over him. “You are undoubtedly the strongest person I know.”

She hiccupped and turned her large warm brown eyes, red from her tears, up to him. “It was all for naught though wasn’t it.” Again, she chuckled, thinking herself foolish and Draco wanted nothing more than dive into her mind to force her to understand.

For her he would be everything she needed, do anything she wanted, all she had to do was ask. He would gift her his life if she required it, that thought alone scared him shiteless.

“No. No it wasn’t Hermione.” He took her face into his hand and his gray eyes bore down into hers. “Nothing you have done or been through will go in vain. I swear it to you.”

Silence filled the air between them as he held his world in his hands. The tears streaming down her face slowed as she gradually calmed, her eyes never leaving his as he watched the sorrow there slowly morph back to hope. Even if it was just a sliver, the tiniest shimmer hidden  
in her amber depths. It gave him all the hope he needed, as he brought his face down to hers, allowing his lips to brush against hers gently. She trembled in his arms, sighing ever so slightly. His tongue swept across her bottom lip, asking for entrance.

Eyes closed, she battled with herself to gain control over her emotions. She wasn’t quite sure how the world worked anymore, or with what twisted humor the universe held that had landed her here crying in the arms of Draco Malfoy, childhood nemesis, owner, and death eater none the less. But here she was, parting her lips to allow him entrance as he attempted to kiss away her pain. And the more he held her, the more he pushed his emotions through to her in his kiss, the pain began to recede until it was small enough for her to manage once again, placing it back in it box, not be touched again.

Feeling him pull away she opened her eyes back up to find his sterling gray depths staring into hers, searching once again.

“I love you.” The words ghosted across his lips, winding themselves around her like a spell of their own. She felt her heart lurch and stutter before returning to its normal rhythm.

The universe was funny.

“I love you too.”

Their lips found each other once again, loving caresses as they poured their hearts out to each other. A gentle force strong enough to break the world.

Hermione sat across from him in their quiet booth at the equally quiet diner. It was one of the few places from her childhood that had weathered the ravages of the war. He had not known what to order so he had just told the petite blonde waitress to bring him the same thing that his witch had ordered.

Strange that, her being his witch all the sudden. How many nights had he wanted this? How many years? And finally, their paths had collided in such a way that the inevitable had been inescapable. In a strange way it was almost as though they were supposed to be here, together. As though the world had refused to give them a choice in the matter, seeing how there was no way she would have been with him on her own.

Those three little words had slipped from his mouth before he knew what he was saying. All he could see was the agonizing hope in her big doe eyes as she stared back up at him, he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. Those eyes, they were what had done him in, tethered him to her like a spell and pulled the words he had said to no other witch, except for his mother, laying him bare before her. Imagine his surprise, his elation when she had said the words back.

He watched as she nibbled on a chip in front of him. Her eyes clearly still lost in thought, worlds away. He now understood her shock at seeing the world she’d loved and held dear turned into a shell of its former self. Learning of the sacrifices she had made, had everything clicking into place. Almost like he was missing a last piece of the puzzle to Hermione Granger. Every word, all the pent-up aggression and rage, the weight of the sorrow she carried, it was a wonder to him how she hadn’t broken and lost her mind through it all. Even after that, all the things he had put her through, the things she still had to endure because of her involvement with him. And still she had said it back: and meant it.

For her, he would right all those wrongs.

He picked up the greasy cheeseburger, eyeing it skeptically before he finally gave in and took a bite. He moaned as the flavors exploded on his tongue. She giggled. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but slowly she was coming back.

“I take that to mean you like it then?” she had yet to touch the burger on her own plate, having been too lost in her own thoughts of the day. The sight of Draco enjoying his so thoroughly had completely caught her off guard. She had never thought she’d see the day when he would willingly try muggle food.

“It’s really good.” He mumbled around the bite of food in his mouth. His cheeks were tinged with red from her laughter.

She nodded with a wide grin of her own. “This was one of our favorite places. My parents and I would come here all the time, more often during their lunch breaks from work. Their office was just a few blocks away, so it was an easy walk.”

Nodding he swallowed and took a sip of the drink she had ordered them as well. His eyes lit up in surprise and she laughed again.

“Really good right?”

“Unbelievably so.” He eyed the thick concoction with wonder. A milkshake she had called it, chocolate as it had been her favorite. “You said they worked near here?”

She nodded finally taking bites of her own food.

“What did they do?”

“They are dentists.” At his confused expression at the term she felt the need to clarify, “Healers, but for your teeth.”

“Teeth healers?” he asked skeptically, almost as though he couldn’t believe there truly was such a thing. “Is there really such a thing?”

“Mmhmm.” She swallowed her own bite before sipping her own glass as well. “Muggles don’t have magic to fix everything, so there are all sorts of specialized healing fields. Dentists for your teeth. Optometrists for their eyes. Even podiatrists who solely focus on one’s feet.”

“Huh.” Draco popped another chip into his mouth. He had no idea the muggle world of healing was so complex.

She nodded again enthusiastically. “Really muggle medicine is far more developed than in the magical world. Without the aid of magic to diagnose, there are all sorts of machines that have been invented to help them narrow down just about any disease. Every day they are discovering something new. With magic, it’s not necessary, but for muggles, they are always learning and growing. Trying to make the world around them better for those who live in it.”

Draco listened raptly, entirely intrigued by the concept. The idea that muggles were beneath him seeming less plausible by the moment. Why had no one ever shared this with them? He knew the obvious answer. How could wizarding society continue to hold their arrogance over those who didn’t possess magic of their own if they acknowledged everything they had been able to accomplish in spite of it. Even now he sat in a room powered by electricity, glowing iridescent orbs casting light all around them, all with the simple flick of a switch. Even now, he was still having a hard time trying to wrap his head around the world she was so enthusiastically trying to describe. He had had mission after mission out amongst the muggles, in all different parts of the world, and never once had he bothered to pay attention to what he saw around him. He had been totally blind and ignorant to the feats that had surrounded him.

“Draco? Can I ask you a question?” he voice was quiet again, soft and unsure.

He paused, holding his cheeseburger halfway to his mouth.

“You can ask me anything Hermione.”

He watched as her eyes shifted around the room nervously, obviously unsure about the question she wanted to ask. Or maybe that was the problem, she didn’t really want to ask it all.

Steeling herself, she let out a slow breath. “The rest of the world, the other cities, countries… are they all like London?”

The burger rested back on his plate again as he considered her question and the best way to answer it. London had been hit first, for obvious reasons, it was right in Voldemort’s proverbial backyard. That did not mean that the rest of the world had not been affected in quite a similar manner.

Slowly he gave a single nod. “More or less… some places were obviously hit harder than others. Places that the Dark Lord found to be more of a threat to his power he paid special attention to the destruction he caused there. It was…” he paused looking for the right words to explain, “essential to his reign to diminish any outside sources of power he could.”

She closed her eyes in understanding. The world had been broken, all because of one selfish, power hungry egomaniac. And he hadn’t stopped just with theirs, he would take as much as he could, and Hermione couldn’t see an end.

The rest of her food forgotten she stood. “I think I’m ready to go back now.”

Draco looked at her, not really wanting to go back at all and ruining their moment of peace, but he recognized the look in her eyes as she held her hand out to him. The hard look of sheer determination. It was time for them to continue to move forward again, to do their best to forget about this past.

He stood taking her hand, and together they walked to the back of the diner towards the loo. Hand in hand they released the bloodstones from their person and time yanked them forward again, roughly depositing them back in the glen.

Draco’s head felt like it was splitting open as he looked around at the familiar setting. The fairies taking off to hide as soon as they returned. The magic surge causing them great alarm.

“Hermione.” He squeezed his eyes shut as a particular onslaught of pain threatened to bring him to his knees. When she didn’t answer he forced his eyes open only to see her passed out on the ground at his feet, a trickle of blood leaking from her nose. “Princess!”

He landed on his knees beside her and attempted to shake her awake to no avail.

“Fuck! Hermione wake up!” She didn’t stir, in a panic he reached for his wand casting a detection charm on her body. Relief flooded him as soon as he realized she was still alive.

_He couldn’t lose her, not yet, hell not ever!_

Stuffing his wand back in it holster, his own headache all but forgotten, he scooped the tiny witch up in his arms and carried her out of the maze and back to his room. He ignored the confused looks from the house elves along the way. The only thing that mattered was the witch in his arms and making sure she was alright.

This reaction was worse than last times. Their alteration to the spell obviously having had no effect on their return. He cursed under his breath at what he had risked. What would have happened had they gone back even further, had they stayed longer? Would his witch even be breathing in his arms right now?

He called for Pod the moment he laid her unconscious body down on his bed.

Poderick popped in going from excited to concerned the second his eyes found Hermione’s body laying there with blood still running down her face. Not giving him time to ask questions Draco shot out a list of potions he needed, ordering the elf to go as fast as he could and return to him there. Something, anything, had to help. Surely, she would come back from this, she was too strong not to. Draco felt tears well in his eyes as his own sense of helplessness washed over him.

His eyes shifting back and forth between the clock on his mantle and the witch in his bed. His sense of dread growing with every passing hour that she wouldn’t open her eyes.

If she were awake, she would know what to do.

“Please Hermione…” he begged her still frame, cupping her petite hand within his own and bringing her fingers to his lips. “Please don’t leave me. Just wake up.”

Hour after hour passed, Pod having long since returned and administered the potions, but still she never stirred. His only solace had been the steady rise and fall of her chest as air was pulled in and out of her lungs. He never took his eyes off of her, always worried that each breath would be the last.

The two of them, Draco and the scared little elf, stayed by her side the entire time it took for her to wake. The potions he had administered having a minimal effect or simply taking longer to take hold. He could not be completely sure, as every time he ran a diagnostic over her she showed minor increments of improvement. Somehow the spell back in time did something to their bodies that made healing a slow-going process. Even Draco’s own headache had taken hours to recede after taking a healing potion of his own. What he could not figure out though was why it always seemed to take such an extreme toll on Hermione.

He spent the entire day laying by her side, willing her eyes to open before sleep finally claimed him.

At the feel of a small hand brush across his forehead he jolted awake. His wild eyes immediately locking onto the big brown orbs of the witch next to him. The sun peeked through the curtains. Two days, it had been almost two days since he’d seen that smile and it had been the scariest two days of his life. In that time, he decided they would not use that spell again. He could not bring himself to lose her, he didn’t think that he could go on if something happened to her. The idea was unfathomable.

They would simply have to find another way.

Losing himself to relief at seeing her finally awake he decided then, that even if it meant he had to run away with her, he would do whatever it took to keep his witch alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: As I stated in the previous note, this chapter was originally going to be part of the chapter before it, however, thanks to the literary genius of my wonderful Alpha you now have this unhurried piece before you. So on that note, this chapter is officially dedicated to realjane (aka thesuperjane). Without you I don’t know what would have become of this chapter and it definitely deserved more than getting crammed at the end of another. Thank you for being my sounding board when I am lost. Thank you for the late-night chats as we build together. And thank you for just being you and taking up a random stranger on the offer to Alpha together. This stranger really loves and appreciates everything you do 😊
> 
> p.s. As always guys let me know what you think, and if you haven’t already don’t forget to check out my Tumblr for extras, sneak peeks, and other goodies! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pink-wednesdays


	12. Freak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Turkeyday everyone! As my gift to you here is another chapter… it’s a fun one 😉 enjoy!  
> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie. 
> 
> Freak  
> Freak like me  
> You want a good girl that does bad things to you  
> You never been with no one as nasty as me  
> Spice up your life, come get a freak  
> Do, do-do, do-do, do-do  
> Freak like me
> 
> Tied him down to my queen bed  
> Tease him just enough to hate me (Hate me)  
> Tied it tight enough, he can't break free (Break free)  
> Keep him waiting 'til he try  
> This can go one of two ways  
> We could flip the coin, I'll be your slave (Ooh-ooh-ooh)  
> Call you daddy, give me a nickname (Ah)  
> I ain't afraid of a little pain (No, I ain't 'fraid of a little pain) – Doja Cat

_He thinks he’s won. That he had gotten to keep his cake while eating it too._

She chuckled dryly to herself as she brought the teacup to her lips once more. Currently she found herself standing by the window watching the seemingly happy couple sneak off once again into that ratty old hedge maze.

_Maybe I’ll commission to have it cut down… or just set it aflame._

She smiled into her glass at the mere thought of watching the reflection of the flames dance in their dopey, love smitten eyes as they watched on with equal looks of horror. Not that anyone could really stop her if she chose to of course. Poor Narcissa and Lucius had been rendered virtually powerless once Draco had taken his rightful place in leading the Dark Lords army. A nuance she had been sure was going to ruin whatever semblance of a relationship the pair of them had built together.

Astoria turned from the window with a huff once the couple officially disappeared out of sight, adequately concealed within the confines of the overgrown shrubbery.

All week she had been forced to endure happening upon the two in all sorts of clandestine compromising positions. No where in her own home was safe from their antics.

_Her husband’s doing she was sure, but even still what self respecting witch would let a man just have his way with her any old place out in the open?_

It was no matter though. Her darling husband could have his fun, after all he was on a time limit now. She had seen to that herself personally. In all fairness she had warned the witch… it wasn’t her fault that she had blatantly disregarded her warning all together. And now with them off gallivanting around, unable to keep their damned hands off each other, it was only a matter of time before the witch was with child. And if that took too long she had a plan for that as well.

There was the matter, however, of how her husband looked at the frizzy headed mudblood. She felt the usual rush of rage flush through her veins at the mere thought. The way his eyes followed her whenever she was in the room like she was the only person in existence.

The glass shattered in her hand. Little bits of the fine china dug into her balled up fist and rained down on the floor, mingling with tiny droplets of her blood.

“Topsy!” She shrieked for her elf who immediately apparated in with a loud pop before bowing so low her ears brushed the floor. “Clean this mess up!”

He had never, not once, in all their years of marriage looked at her that way. Which was why simply pulling her husband away from her was not going to be enough. That was why making Hermione an offering had been integral into her plan, and once the witch had fulfilled her purpose and was completely out of the picture she would have him entirely back to herself, and she supposed there would be a new brat to contend with as well. But that was no matter either, after all she had been raised by a nanny elf and had turned out perfectly fine.

She squinted her eyes as the elf dutifully began picking up each piece of glass and tucking it into her makeshift dress. Elves really were disgusting little creatures.

She stormed from the room making sure to kick the little vermin on her way by, causing her to spill all the glass back to the floor.

“Topsy! You imbecile!” she gave her another solid kick just for good measure and the elf let out a little squeak of pain. This brought a smile to her lips. These days she had to take whatever small joys she could get.

She walked out of the room leaving she frantic elf behind to continue to clean up the mess she’d caused.

Now what to do with her time?

Maybe, she would owl Daphne with a suggestion of her own.

Daphne was all to eager to agree to host a small dinner party for her and several other of their old Slytherin friends. Astoria would have been more than willing to host all of her friends under normal circumstances, but the last thing she wanted was for Draco to find some excuse to completely shut it down. This way she could ensure an entire stage was set for her to have a night out with her husband…sans his whore. And who knew where the night would take them, with enough liquor in his system anything was possible.

She knew Draco was becoming more and more frustrated as the week went on. Playing it safe was not exactly in his cards and she could see the toll that practicing restraint with Hermione was causing him. What kind of wife would she be to not be concerned about her husband’s wellbeing?

Besides… surely, he had to be growing bored of the same old thing by now. Even if he had been successful in pushing Hermione beyond her usual vanilla Gryffindor limits. There were still just some things only a true Slytherin would be willing to do.

She was sitting right by the back doors waiting when the couple finally exited the maze from the other side of the glass doors.

Elegant and poised, she was the sheer image of perfection when the double doors opened allowing for the giggling couple to traipse into the hall. She held her face a frozen mask of pleasantness.

“Draco dear.”

The pair froze when they saw her waiting for them, Hermione’s eyes going wide with alarm, and Draco’s squinting down at her skeptically. Their fingers were intertwined, and it was all she could do to mask the raging inferno inside of her at their little display of affection as she stood to greet him.

She cut her eyes to the other witch, an instant dismissal and to her chagrin Hermione stammered some menial pretext before excusing herself back to her own quarters.

_Now there’s a good girl._

“I’ll be behind you in just a minute.” Draco called past her at the bushy headed girls rapidly retreating figure.

Smirking, Astoria relished that the other girl neither acknowledged him nor turned back once before disappearing around the corner. That was until Draco turned his glacial eyes on her.

“To what do I owe this honor Astoria?” his voice was hard and brittle. He was none too pleased at all with her interruption.

_It seemed someone was growing a little too attached to his plaything._

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and noted the way his eyes followed the action.

He may have been angry, but her assumptions were correct. All his restraint was getting to him. She had been watching him closely these past couple of days and the tension radiating from him was almost palpable. Deliciously so.

She stepped closer into his space, knowing he would never dare show a sign of weakness by backing away. Idly, she traced her well-manicured finger up his arm to his bicep.

“We have been invited out to dinner at my sisters, I thought…”

“You thought wrong. I’m not going.” He cut her off attempting to walk by her, but she dug her grip into his arm. Her sharp manicured nails digging into his flesh enough to almost break the skin… almost. All she had to do was dig in a little more and watch the vibrant red of his pureblood well up in the hollows her fingers had caused. Alas, that would not get her what she wanted from him unfortunately.

“We are going. Everyone is going to be there, and it simply would not do to have me show up all on my lonesome.” She spoke in her most saccharine voice, driving her point home. “Unless of course you are not concerned what others may report back to…” she trailed away letting her threat linger.

Even he wasn’t bold enough to catch the ire of their Dark Lord, after all she had ensured to endear herself to his aunt Bella just for this purpose, hence she was also a fast favorite of the Dark Lord himself.

He let out a long-defeated sigh and she grinned maliciously.

_Even he knew when he had been beaten, just like the good little dog he was._

She released her grip in his arm, staring at the red welts longingly. Pain was all the rage these days after all, and she really did relish inflicting it upon others.

“Everyone?” his question was deadpanned, still looking for some sort of escape, but she had been prepared for just that.

Unravelling her latest correspondence from her older sister she showed him the letter of invitation. All the important friends of theirs had already RSVP’d their attendance, the Flint’s, Goyle’s, Pansy and Felix Rosier, hell even Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini who were still notoriously flying solo. Draco had no way out of this one.

He balled the invitation up in his hand, eyes alight with fury before the little ball of paper burst into flames on its way to the ground.

“Fine.” He gritted between his teeth. “At least I’ll have Theo and Blaise there to keep me company.”

She leaned into him them, loving the feel of playing with fire, his fire in particular. She let both of her hands slide up over his chest and wrap around the back of his neck. She could feel him quaking with rage beneath her and it sent a flood straight to her knickers.

Oh, how they both knew she would like nothing more than to climb him like a tree right now. Let him take out all that rage on her, she could handle it and then some.

“And me love…” she whispered. Her lips just grazing the shell of his ear. “I will be there to keep you… _company_ as well.” She stepped away letting her hands slide over him between the space, ensuring her innuendo hit home.

Maybe it was her imagination, or maybe, just maybe, she saw her husband’s eyes darken with the barest hint of desire. It could have also been rage, but either one was more than fine with her.

She turned then to head down the hall to head to her room to ready for the evening, she had the perfect little black dress in mind…

“It’s just a dinner party Astoria.” He called after her.

She openly laughed, choosing to let that be her only response as she disappeared around the very corner Hermione had mere minutes before.

_Let him think that all he wanted, but she knew better._

They entered her sister’s parlor, her arm wrapped possessively around Draco’s. He as usual chose to wear a completely black suit, which only complemented her own dress that clung tightly to her every curve. The little black dress rode up slightly as she walked, her bare leg peeking out from the exceedingly high slit with every other step. She had chosen to wear her hair down this evening, long loose curls cascading down the open back and brushing her shoulders as she walked.

Astoria had not needed to see Draco’s face to know that she looked damned good. The sheer look of horror on Hermione’s face when she had come to retrieve him from his study had said it all. That little witch had known precisely what tonight was about, just as her husband had, the difference being that she was intelligent enough to be aware of just how far Astoria was willing to go to get what she wanted. For once when she had smiled and told the little harlot goodbye for the evening it had felt genuine, even if her eyes had screamed for her to eat shite. At least someone in the house was appreciating all her hard efforts this evening.

A long low whistle sounded as the pair entered the receiving room, and she felt herself preen from head to toe. And what a long distance to go that really was, especially when she had chosen to wear her five-inch Louis, whose straps wound their way all around her ankles.

“Astoria, Astoria… where have you been all evening?” Zabini bowed before her, taking her hand in his and placing a sensual kiss on the back of her hand.

 _Well wasn’t he forward?_ She arched a brow appreciatively at the sensual caress of his lips.

“Oh Blaise, please.” She pretended to brush him off with a flip of her hair over her shoulder, taking the chance to peek at Draco he still seemed just as disinterested as usual. “Surely your date this evening would not appreciate you lavishing such attentions on a spoken for woman.”

The tall dark and extraordinarily handsome wizard stood, flashing her his token devilish grin. “Alas they might, if I had brought one.” He turned his attentions to the wizard on her arm and pulled him in for a side embrace. “And you mate? Where have you been hiding away these days? It feels like it has been ages since you graced us with your presence. I know you’re all big and important now, but surely you can still carve out time for your oldest friends.”

She let out a scoff which she quickly covered with a dainty cough at Draco’s scornful glare.

“So sorry, I must be parched.”

_What she had really wanted to say was that he has been rolling around in the garden with some muggle born nobody rather than attending to his wife as he should._

“Say no more, my angel!” Blaise declared as he led them further into the room full of their group of friends. He plucked to premade glasses off the bar and handed one to each of them.

 _Angel, hmm? That is a word she did not think she had ever once heard used to describe her._ She found she quite liked it.

Everyone was mingling about, conversing jovially amongst the music, each with a drink in hand. Some she could tell had already had quite a few more than one, Zabini being a prime example. The second the girls spied her they ushered her over, Daphne, Pansy, and Millicent were sitting around a table gushing over their drinks about some trivial topic or another.

Sighing she cut her eyes to Draco who simply lifted an eyebrow at her as if to say well this is what you wanted. Somewhat reluctantly she pulled her arm away from his and made her way over to the gaggle of gossips, being sure to throw her hips just a little more than usual on her way. A grin spread across her face as she felt the heat of multiple eyes on her from within the room. Hopefully one of which was Draco’s, but it was not as though she could simply turn around to see. That would simply reek of desperation. She practically shuddered at the mere thought. Even if he wasn’t watching, the fact that everyone else was would be sure to draw his notice, either way, it was a win-win for her.

It was Pansy who cut her eyes at her as she took her seat next to the posh brunette.

“So, I see you are up to something as usual Story.”

“I simply don’t know what you mean?” she gave Pansy a look full of forced innocence and naivety.

“Of course, you don’t…” the other witch brought her glass of champagne up to her ruby red lips. “Too bad the rest of us are more than aware that this entire dinner was all orchestrated on your call.”

Astoria narrowed her eyes slightly at Pansy in warning. She may have been the top bitch back when they were in school, back when she had dated Slytherin prince herself. But now, now Astoria reigned supreme and it would do well for her to remember that.

Inwardly she smiled a slow malicious smile.

“Do tell Pansy, how is Felix? I hear his latest assignment went a little…awry.” She feigned inspecting her nails disinterestedly, all the while watching the flush creep up the catty witch’s neck.

They all knew Felix had blundered his last mission quite horribly. He had been tasked with one simple thing, ridding the world of things that the Dark Lord wanted destroyed. He and his father had failed, simple as that… although it did cost Rosier senior his life. Someone got the drop on them and dear Voldy was none too pleased.

Pansy said nothing of course and took another long pull from her glass, emptying its contents before its contents refilled again of their own accord.

Astoria hid her smirk by taking her own sip from her glass, but nothing was able to hide the glint in her eyes.

“So Milli was just telling us about how she was decorating her nursery! Isn’t that exciting?” Daphne filled in the tense silence, always one to avoid confrontation.

Oh her poor beloved sister, so sweet and timid… so weak. It made Astoria want to roll her eyes. Honestly it amazed Astoria that her elder sister had been sorted into Slytherin at all, she clearly would have made a better Puff.

“Oh, my that is exciting!” Astoria gushed enthusiastically turning her attention the other witch at the party.

_It really wasn’t._

Do you know what was amazing, however? The fact that dear old Milli Bullfrog had actually found someone willing to tie the knot with her in the first place. What she really wanted to know was how much her dear old daddy had paid to get someone to take the unfortunate looking girl off his hands.

She could not care less about what type of nursery decorations Millicent was going to place in the room for her newly acquired brat once it arrived. A mudblood was a mudblood. Sure, she knew about the ceremony but at the end of the day it still was not quite the same as having your own child. It was truly a shame that there seemed to be a blight of fertility amongst pureblood families at this point.

The Bullstrode turned Flint began gushing about all of the things she had already done to prepare for her little muddy infant’s arrival and the other plans she had yet to carry out with utmost enthusiasm. All the while the girls around her hung on her every word.

Taking another small sip of her champagne she chanced a glance in her husband’s direction. He was speaking in low tones with Theodore across the room, barely paying attention to anyone else there.

Obviously, he would seek out his secondary bed buddy.

She rolled her eyes and refocused on the conversation or attempted to at least and the other three witches continued to prattle on.

It really was such a pity that they all seemed so excited for her. She really wondered if Pansy was faking her enthusiasm for their other friend just as she was.

“Listen to me going on an on.” Millicent waved herself off, pretending to fan away her excitement. “Soon we will all be here having these conversations with you. After all with any luck you will be next Astoria!”

 _Ah, yes. Her own little_ mudblood _problem._

She had wondered how long it would take to surface, truly though she couldn’t fault the witch. It had been Millicent’s predicament that had given her the idea of turning Hermione into an offering in the first place.

“With any luck one would surely hope.” She responded in kindness the forced smile upon her face was beginning to make her cheeks ache.

 _Goodness this was dull and most definitely_ not _what she had intended for the evening._

Millicent scrunched her already pug like face up even more, accentuating her unfortunate nose.

_Well at least it was promising for her child that she wouldn’t be inheriting that feature from her mother, although it wasn’t as if Marcus was a looker himself either. Either way she was sure Flint was rejoicing that there was no chance of his child inheriting that particular feature from its mother._

“You know Marcus had to be entirely wasted every time he had to touch that poor girl. Said it turned his stomach just thinking about it.”

She had to physically stifle a derisive snort at that statement.

_From the way she heard it, dear Marcus was always wasted and always touching everyone, especially if they weren’t his wife. But she supposed that was neither here nor there._

“It was a wonder that he was able to get the job done at all!” Pansy let out with a bark of a laugh before turning to Astoria and placing her hand caringly on her shoulder. “It’s a good thing you won’t have that same problem isn’t it dear?”

The group fell silent all eyes turned to her. Astoria felt her rage rise to the surface…

_How dare she! Just who did she think she was dealing with? Here she was doing her best to play nice and Pansy just was determined not to let her._

_Why was it that somebody always had to insist on making her teach them a lesson?_

“Pans…” Daphne attempted to interject again, aware of the rising danger, only to be cut off.

“All I’m saying, and you know as well as I do Daph, that a certain someone always had eyes for a particular witch back in school.”

Her blood was boiling as her hard eyes locked with the witch next to her. The challenge was clear and evident and who was she to take this sitting down.

_Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play, so be it. Unfortunately for the older witch she was severely underestimating the extremes that she was willing to go to in order to get even._

_Dear Daphne had learned that the hard way as well, but they had been children back then. Oh how her sister had loved that kitten…_

“School was quite a long time ago Pansy. Things change.” Her words came out short and clipped. Letting them know the conversation was over.

“Do they though?”

Astoria smiled, pulling her wand from its place within her clutch from her side.

A good crucio would teach the witch her place. She’d Avada her but that was still frowned upon amongst the ranks unfortunately.

“Oh look, I do believe it is time for dinner!” Daphne stood abruptly, placing herself directly in the path of her victim.

The squeamish witch could never stand the sight of blood of her floors.

She rose with the rest of the girls turning away from them and making her way over to Draco, being sure to wobble a little more than necessary, putting on the show that she made had have just little more to drink than she actually had. She sidled up to him to brush against his side and giggled, taking another small sip of her champagne, making the show that the liquor had made its way to her head to put him even more off guard.

“Draco, my love.” She leaned more weight against him, feeling his muscles tense beneath her touch, and ran her hand along the nape of his neck to play with the feather soft platinum hair. A spot she knew personally was one of his favorites.

What she really couldn’t wait to do was twine her hands throughout his entire mane of hair, pulling him down against her as he drove inside her with a wild abandon.

“Astoria, your drunk.” He reprimanded her, his own slur only slightly evident.

Good, she wanted him to be lost to her tonight and he was clearly well on his way. She came here with a plan and she fully intended to follow through.

Covering her lips delicately she made a shushing noise, loud enough for the surrounding men to hear, but pretending it was only for him to know.

“Just a teensy bit my darling.” She made a small gesture with two of her fingers to illustrate her point. He rolled his eyes and offered her his arm once again for support.

_Check._

The group began to make their way to the dining room. Astoria fumbled along, purposefully slowing Draco down with her. Her clutch was still open and her wand was easily within reach. The moment she got a clear shot of Pansy she pretended to stumble losing Draco’s arm and subtly cast the Imperius curse at the witch as she passed by them in the hall. With glee she watched as the witch’s eyes glossed over pausing in her steps for just a moment before Astoria silently directed her to continue on with the rest of the group before them.

“Seems like more than a teensy bit. How much have you had to drink?” Draco looked down at her, but not quite as coldly as before, his own drinking having begun to take effect for the evening.

She let out a small giggle again, choosing not to answer. No one needed to know that she was obviously the most sober one in the room as he continued to escort her behind their group of friends.

“Isn’t this nice?” she asked sweetly, throwing on her charm as Draco pulled out her chair for her. Always the gentleman. “I really missed this.” She looked around the table, “I really missed it just being all of us.”

That much was true. Life had been so much simpler back when they were just a group of friends in the common room, not having to worry about anything other than school and exams. She cut her eyes to Pansy.

“This is really nice Daph. I have missed the good old days, just like before.” She watched amused as Pansy made eyes at Draco, supposedly reminiscing about the good old days, back when they were together. When it was her at the blonde wizard’s side and not Astoria.

Eyes widening in mock confusion she looked around the table with concern and locked eyes with Felix. The comment had not been lost on him either.

_Good. Now she just had to continue to set Pansy up for her little game._

The poor witch had no idea what was happening to her. Astoria found it to be highly amusing. Much more so than the dull talk of baby mudbloods.

Taking the seat next to his wife, Draco frowned at the other woman, but chose not to acknowledge her blatantly obvious comment about their past.

The first course was set before them and Astoria decided it was best to let Pansy behave as she usually would, only with less attention to the handsome brunette on her right of course. Instead Pansy just could not seem to help but cast her eyes in Draco’s direction every few minutes. This alone caused Felix to also cut his eyes to her husband with suspicion and filled Astoria with a subtle sense of accomplishment.

By the second course Astoria, taking more sips of champagne merely for show, twisted her legs so that she could press her thigh against her wizard’s, feeling the heat radiating from him as he did his best to ignore her. This simply would not do as well.

This was her evening after all and if it were the last thing she did, she would wipe all thoughts of that filthy little mudblood right from his mind. He belonged to her, and it was time he remembered that.

She knew by count he was well into his fifth or sixth glass which emboldened her as the conversation about nothing continued to circle around them. Taking the opportunity to delicately wipe her mouth with her napkin she placed it back on her lap, but rather than returning her hand to her utensils she rested it boldly on Draco’s thigh, allowing her fingers to trace delicate patterns across the surface. He only stiffened for a moment before relaxing once again and choosing to ignore her altogether as he, Theo and Blaise delved deeper into their previous conversation about quidditch.

She shifted her patterns to traces up and down his leg, gradually riding higher in slow increments. Draco, either allowing her actions or tuning her out altogether, which only spurred her on further. A thrill of excitement shot through her as she continued to boldly creep up his thigh. Emboldened, she allowed her hand to rest fully on his leg, her gentle ministrations turning to a possessive caress.

He laughed jovially at something Theodore was saying across the table… entirely distracted. The hard muscle beneath her palm remained relaxed as she used her fingers to knead away any built up tension. Slowly working her way ever higher, her eye always on the prize.  
She was just shy of his trousers zipper when his hand shot from its place at the table and rested on hers, stopping her in her tracks. She did her best not to visible pout.

 _“And just what exactly do you think you are doing Astoria?”_ his voice shot into her mind as to not draw attention to her antics under the table.

She attempted to wrest her hand free from his, but he simply tightened his grip to keep her in place.

 _“Simply helping you to relax my dear husband.”_ She turned her large brown eyes up to him innocently as she used her thumb to brush circles across the seam of his pants.

He arched a brow, turning to look at her finally.

 _“I would hardly call what you are doing neither simple nor relaxing.”_ Then very dismissively he placed her hand back into her own lap as he returned to the conversation around them.

_Hmm. Not distracted enough it would seem._

Luckily for her she had a perfect tool right at her disposal. Smiling across the table she chose to re-engage the still magically enthralled witch.

“Oh Pansy. I was just trying to remember the other day that story you had told me about.” She felt Draco’s eyes on her from his place beside her, Daphne had zeroed in as well, curious to see precisely what she was up to. “You remember about your fifth year?”

An innocent enough question to be sure, and of course there had been no story from the witch, but no one else at the table knew that. Besides, it was not as though she couldn’t be referring to any number of interesting things. Their fifth year had been one for the record books, with Dolores Umbridge in place as High Inquisitor at Hogwarts.

Pansy’s eyes lit up and she once again stared dotingly at Draco, causing both Felix and the wizard to her right to bristle.

_Just a little magical push, a suggestion more than anything really… after all they all knew what happened that year between the two. What was the harm in allowing it to be aired out properly?_

“You all know that that was back when Draco and I used to be an item. Quite a serious one at that, at least to me anyway.” The witch chuckled to herself while glancing around the table, then back to Draco before her eyes finally settled on Astoria. What the others mistook for enthusiasm she alone could read as the hidden panic in her eyes.

Astoria gave her a polite, sinister smile… encouraging the witch to continue to tell all their secrets. No matter that Pansy was horrified at the words spilling from her mouth, she was entirely helpless to stop them.

“Well it was just after he had been promoted to the Inquisitorial Squad that he finally convinced me to accompany him to the Prefects bathroom.” The dark haired witches eyes shot to Draco pleadingly, but the blonde refused to make eye contact with her as she continued to tell the story, her voice lilting away as she relived the memory for all at the table to hear. “We had done plenty of other things together by that point of course, its just not that getting caught up snogging in the dark corridors of the school were really conducive to losing one’s virginity.”

Theo coughed, nearly choking on his drink, staring at Pansy in utter bewilderment. Draco finally cut his eyes up to his long time friend with a hard glare, while the rest of the room filled with a heavy silence, no one sure about what to say at Pansy’s declaration nor the sordid details that continued to flow from her lips freely.

“Well this evening just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” He alone seemed to be enjoying where the story was heading, and the havoc it was wreaking around the room. He leaned back with a slight grin taking a long sip from his drink. The food on his plate all but forgotten.  
Felix practically slammed his fork and knife down on the table. “That is quite enough Pansy!”

Astoria looked on with horrified eyes, all the while on the inside she was dancing with glee. And of course, Pansy did not, could not stop.

“Pans…” Draco practically growled warningly to no avail.

“Draco dear it was nothing to be ashamed of. Most boys don’t even last more than a minute, you should be proud.” She waved her hand playfully in Draco’s direction while the subject of discussion gaped at her open mouthed like a fish.

“An entire minute eh?” Blaise chuckled from his place next to Goyle.

She supposed Draco was nearing his tolerance and glanced over at him worriedly. Just as she suspected he was now glaring at Blaise who seemed entirely unfazed, but the cold steel Draco was throwing his way… it made her burn in the best sort of way.

“Pshh, more like five. It was quite impressive really. Besides…” Pansy smirked at Draco then lasciviously, “that was only the first round of the evening. He really was ever eager to please.”

Felix abruptly stood from his place beside his wife and stormed out of the room. Pansy hardly seemed to notice as her eyes were still glued on Draco.

“Oh Pans!” she finally uttered in alarm, her voice cutting through sufficiently enough for all to hear her mortification for their friend. Silently ending the word vomit pouring from her _dear friend's_ mouth. Surely that was enough for now, but she refused to release her hold on her just yet. Pansy still had one more act in her before the night was through.

Daphne stood as well clasping her hands together. “How about we take dessert back in the drawing room?” her eyes roved around nervously with an anxious smile, her eyes sliding right over Astoria altogether, afraid to be caught in her sister’s wrath…

Everyone uttered in agreement and began to follow suit, standing and heading out of the room. Astoria directed Pansy to go as well, leaving just her and Draco behind at the table.

With a sigh Draco leaned back in his chair raking both hands down his face.

“What in the hell was that?” he uttered looking entirely bewildered at the doorway to the room.

“Draco, I have no earthly idea!” The lie slid easily from her lips as she turned to face him, resting her hand once again on his upper thigh. “That was not what we were talking about before… I fear she may be cross with me. That was not the first thing she has said that was untoward this evening.”

“For bloody Merlin's sake…”

“If it makes any difference, I don’t think any different of you after all of that.” Her hand returned to its gentle caresses on his leg.

He let out a sigh and stood, wobbling slightly on his feet before catching his balance.

“We should join the others. This night can’t be over soon enough.”

“We should.” She stood and began to follow him out of the room. She pulled him to a stop when they neared the door though, turning him to face her rubbing her hands across his chest. “I truly feel for Felix though, he did not deserve any of that.”

Draco shook his head in agreement. Before he could continue out the door she pulled him forward, planting her lips on his. He stilled above her, but she was unrelenting. Gradually she felt him soften towards her before she felt his hand slide up to grip the back of her neck. Forcefully he deepened their kiss, pouring all his frustration into her. He backed her into the wall with a jarring thud as he aggressively bit and delved into her mouth. She nipped his lower lip harshly eliciting a groan before he tugged her hair tilting her head back for a better angle.

She felt a growl reverberate through his body as he pressed against her entirely. His leg slipped between her legs and she moaned at the feel of him. She pulled at him desperately, needing to feel more of him, all of him.

_Hell! Had she known it would be this easy she would have placed an imperious curse on Pansy ages ago._

“Fuck!” he growled and pushed off from her aggressively, his breaths heavy. He dropped his hand and backed away from her eyeing her wearily, his expression guarded and confused before he turned and walked out of the room.

Astoria stood there, leaning against the wall as a slow smile crept onto her bruised lips.

_That… was delicious. And now that she had a taste she would not be deterred._

There he was. The Draco she had always known, selfish and demanding, and all within her reach for the evening. And he was completely hammered, just how she wanted him.

_Tonight, he was ripe for the taking._

_Oh, and take him she would._

Catching her breath, she followed in his wake, entering the room with the others flushed and slightly more disheveled than before. He met her eyes the second she entered the room, taking another long pull form his glass. She crossed the room to where he was sitting on one of the sofas and took the place beside him, never once breaking eye contact. He stiffened as she draped herself over him, but she knew he would not push her away. Not tonight, and certainly not here in front of everyone. Not when Felix and Pansy were still on the top of everyone’s mind, which just by happenstance happened to include Draco as well. All thanks to her own careful coordinating.

_Sometimes her genius even amazed herself._

She idly toyed with the soft locks of his hair as each couple sat around each other, Theo and Blaise occupied two armchairs nearby. The delight had yet to leave Blaise’s face as he intently tried to listen in on Pansy and Felix’s hushed conversation, while the others all tried to ignore them entirely. Discretion was a very Slytherin trait, one that Pansy currently seemed to be lacking.

She felt a low hum of appreciation as Draco took pleasure from her touch. She wiggled in her seat clenching her legs in anticipation of what she was sure of what was to come later on once they returned home.

The mundane conversation grew louder around her in an attempt to drown out both pansy and Felix, Daphne and Goyle looking extremely uncomfortable for the remainder of their guests.

Deciding it was time to finally play her last card for the evenings finally and putting everyone out of their misery, well most everyone, Astoria once again focused on Pansy. Without a single word the petty with rose from her seat, leaving Felix mid sentence and crossed the room to where Theodore sat alone in his chair. She leaned over him, whispering in his ear, her tongue sneaking out and brushing against the dangling lobe, before she raked his hand through his hair and then down his chest stopping just as she hooked her fingers into the top of his pants.

Theo’s eyes grew wide with shock as he watched her then quickly looked at Felix in desperation followed by the rest of the room as he tried in vain to gently remove the witch from his personal space.

“Pansy what are you doing?” his voice was cracked with confusion as the witch turned and placed herself solidly in his lap before grinding her backside against him in the most unbecoming fashion. He kept his hands raised in the air, being sure not to touch her. His eyes pleading with anyone in the room for help.

Poor, poor Theo… this should keep him quiet for quite some time as well. Or it would if he knew what was good for him. She would hate to have to go to more extreme measures…

Pansy let out a small moan, as she leaned back against him, rolling her hips suggestively. Uncaring to the shock that was sweeping the room.

“Pans!” Millicent tried in vain to garner the witch’s attention, but she was solely focused on Theo and giving him the proper lap dance of his life.

Pansy slid her hands up and down Theo’s thighs to the room's horror getting dangerously close to touching his surprisingly unresponsive member. Astoria wanted to laugh. She was willing to chalk that up simply to shock, knowing for a fact the man could get it up for just about anything thing with tits and arse that happened to be unfortunate enough to happen upon him.

She looked on with the rest of the room in mock horror, but truly there was no way she could be more pleased. Beside her Draco was tense, poised ready to move but entirely unsure how to handle the predicaments currently unfolding between two of his closest friends. Blaise’s eyes were alight with mischief and wonder, he was clearly having the time of his life. Poor Daphne was mortified and Goyle…well he was Goyle, it wasn’t as though he truly had an array of expressions to really express himself now did he? He was however currently casting his eyes back and forth between the pair in the chair and Felix who was beat red and fuming, the closest thing to confusion she would call marring his featured. Milli, now Milli she could tell was absolutely horrified by the actions of her friend and had no earthly idea on what to do, but Flint, that sick bastard, well he was practically getting a hard on just watching.

She wanted to burst out into hysterics, but alas, she couldn’t allow herself the pleasure.

_Well surely this would teach both Pansy and Theo a thing or two._

She highly doubted she would see their faces around anytime soon after this fiasco.

Finally having enough after one exceptionally loud moan from pansy as she turned to straddle Theo fully Felix stood, storming over to his witch and scooped her up none too gentle by the middle and threw her over his shoulder. She pouted and whined, making eyes at Theo and cursing her husband’s name for ruining her fun.

“We are leaving.” He turned to face the room, ever the gentleman. “I truly apologize for my wife’s behavior this evening.” Tucking tail, he turned and carried the shouting witch down the hall and to the floo.

With a subtle grin, Astoria released her hold on the curse.

Let her now try to logically explain away tonight’s behavior. If he would even listen. She would be lucky to not be served divorce papers come morning time.

They arrived shortly back in their own parlor after that, the party having quickly wound down after Theo made his own escape to Blaise’s booming delight and the other’s utter mystification. Flint practically dragged Milllicent through the grates after, his complete arousal evident on his features, that twisted and dirty man that he was. And after as much consolation as she was willing to give her sister, she allowed Draco to lead her away as well back to their home arm in arm. He entirely wasted, and her pretending to be just as equally so.

Astoria teetered up the stairs, taking each step carefully, being sure to appear slightly off balance. She could feel Draco’s gaze on her from behind and she chanced a peek over her shoulder in his direction. He stood with one hand resting on the bannister, eyes glued to her body as a war waged within his silver depths. She smiled invitingly and continued the rest of the way up the stairs, barely hearing the footfalls of the man behind her.

She bit her lip to stop the grin from completely covering her face as she led him down the hall. She paused at his office door. Her original plans had been to drag him into her private quarters and to not let him out until sunrise, but this… this could be better. Her hand reached for the handle and she slipped inside quietly closing the door behind her.

The mahogany desk before her presented itself for her complete use. Before he had the chance to enter the room behind her she clambered onto the desk, facing the door in anticipation. When he opened the door, he found her sitting there, legs slightly parted in an open invitation. Her heated eyes trackied his every move.

He slipped inside, closing the door behind him and stalked his way to her. The thrill of it send a flood of wetness straight to her core.

“Astoria…”

“Shhh.” She placed a finger on his lips before reaching down to tug him closer using the belt in his trousers. Reaching up she wrapped her hand around his neck, once again pulling his face down to hers this evening, only this time she would not be letting him go. Her tongue swept into his mouth, licking and tasting. Fire whisky practically emanated from his entire being, his drink of choice throughout the evening, his eyes glossy with inebriation.

He may not want this, but it was what he needed, what they both needed. And she was going to ensure that they both took full advantage of it.

He nudged her legs apart with his own as his free hand worked to undo belt at his waist, quickly followed by the buttons and zipper. His impressive member sprang free bouncing off his stomach.

Her body shook with anticipation she had been waiting for this moment all evening, for months really. Ever since that Granger swot had officially entered the picture and he had refused to touch her. She needed this like she needed to breathe. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt her knickers forcefully ripped away by his uncaring hands, this was fine, this was normal. Angry sex was good… it was their best. She ripped his shirt open, buttons flying across the room before she raked the sharp tips of her nails down his front leaving red welts in their wake.

Marking him for all to see, for Granger to find later.

He growled shoving her back and pulling her arse closer to the edge of the desk before lining himself up to her dripping entrance. His dark and heady eyes meeting hers only moments before her drove into her with such force that she cried out, her walls stretching around him, gripping him tightly, accommodating his larger size.

This was not love. This was punishment, one which they both took out on each other as they continued to scratch and claw at each other as they took what they so desperately needed. She met him forceful thrust after forceful thrust, pulling at his shoulders until he was forced down to meet her. His lips finding hers for another kiss full of passion and loathing as his hand snaked around her throat cutting off her air way.

It was the headiest combination, and she felt the coil low in her belly begin to tighten. He ripped her dress exposing the tops of her breasts before attacking them with his mouth. Deciding that too wasn’t enough he forcefully pulled the flimsy fabric apart as well, finding her nipples and suckling before giving one hard nip, causing her to let out a silent scream with the pressure still on her throat causing her to rise ever higher. The blood pounding in her ears in time to his thrusts.

He leaned back, grasping her hip with his free hand and drove into her with such abandon that the sounds echoed across the room. The small mewls that escaped driving him mad as she felt him losing himself, growing ever harder inside her still as he rapidly approached his own release.

“Fuck you Story.”

She squeaked. It was meant to be a yes!

He pounded into her mercilessly and she wanted more as the coil tightened impossibly still until it snapped entirely causing her back to arch completely off the table and her arms found their way around his shoulders holding on for dear life as she screamed out his name as she came around his cock. Her eyes blacking out from the headrush due to the lack of oxygen and overwhelming pleasure that had consumed her.

A small peep from the doorway caused her eyes to shoot open. There she met a pair of horrified amber eyes, watching as her husband continued his forceful thrusts inside her. Draco bit down solidly on her neck causing her to cry out in an intoxicating mix of pleasure and pain, her eyes never once leaving the other witch’s as he spilled himself deep inside her with a loud groan.

Astoria smirked. _Best to give the little witch a show while she was there._

“Yes, Draco!”

Hermione darted from the open doorway, her lithe figure rapidly retreating down the hall.

_This could not have gone any better had she tried._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I know lots of you hate Astoria, and I simply LOVE to hate her… so I really enjoyed writing this chapter and delving into her particular brand of crazy. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! . As always guys let me know what you think, and if you haven’t already don’t forget to check out my Tumblr for extras, sneak peeks, and other goodies! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pink-wednesdays


	13. Used To Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie.
> 
> Used to Be (L.O.V.E.)
> 
> L is for the way you lie to me  
> O is for the other ones you see  
> V is for vindictive, chew my heart and then you spit it  
> E hurts even more, but who knows what I keep hoping for
> 
> When I'm trip trip tripping over everything you say and do  
> Like even though I'm miles away, I'll keep my faith for you  
> Oh, but I'm just a blinded fool  
> With my heart so tied who knows what to do  
> So I'll go, fill up the cracks  
> 'Cause I swear that we could make it back- Chelsea Collins

Foolish thy name was Hermione Jean Granger. Why she had expected anything more from him she didn't know. What she did know was how the sting of betrayal she felt towards Malfoy seeped into her very soul. And Merlin's beard did it smart.

Try as she might, day after day she could not get the image of him with Astoria clawing into his back while his hips snapped against her so ferociously out of her mind. The worst had been the following morning. He had stumbled into her room, unmistakably hungover, with no recollection of what had transpired the night before between his wife and himself. Not that it mattered, the image had been burned forever into her retinas enough for the both of them. Or perhaps worse, that he did remember and was trying to play the entire ordeal off to her as though nothing had happened.

After the way he had held her, confessed his feelings for her, and stayed by her side the entire time she recuperated from their last trip back in time, the burn and pain of it all was too real. It had been too much to bear. So, she did what she always did in these situations, she compartmentalized. Draco Malfoy now had his own box, along with all her feelings towards him, tucked into the back of her mind.

 _It was better this way._ At least that is what she continued to tell herself as she did everything in her power to avoid the entire Malfoy household day in and day out. But Draco, however, was relentless. He would not leave her alone to let her handle her own emotions in the safest way possible. He had effectively destroyed her, he was like an emotional wrecking ball, wreaking havoc on everything he touched. Hermione could not stand to take another minute of it. All the twisted Malfoy games that both he and his wife played were constantly pulling on her frayed edges as she felt herself continue to unravel.

Unable to even voice her thoughts, she had chosen to remain silent as Draco gave her a rough run down of the night before. Her eyes staring off in the distance as he recounted the story of Pansy and the dinner, but nothing had been said about Astoria. Not a single word.

She could not even bring herself to look him in the eyes, for fear of losing herself wholly within his spell. She was not so stupid as to think that she held some power over him. His actions the night before had made that crystal clear. Draco purely questioned her silence, begging her to let him back in, but what good would that do either of them.

 _It was us against the world, right?_ That much she figured would not have to change, but still she knew she needed time to process, to replace her wall. The one he had single handedly pulled apart brick by brick.

_Malfoy was nothing more than a means to an end. Nothing more and nothing less._

"Hermione, will you look at me in the very least? Tell me what is wrong?" he had begged and pleaded, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

_But how could she, how stupid she would sound?_

You slept with her, another woman, who just so happened to be your wife. No, not when in fact she was genuinely the other woman. So rather than telling him off about what she had witnessed she chose her only other option, shutting down entirely.

Besides, she was more likely to hex his bullocks off rather than have a civil conversation with the man standing in front of her, his hair a disheveled mess and the reek of whiskey wafting from his pores. Her silence spoke louder than any words she could ever say would, so she let it speak for her.

_It was easier this way, even if she felt as though she were being ripped apart on the inside._

When he had ultimately left, realizing she was not going to entertain his stories any longer, nor tell him the cause of her sudden change, she had left her room after him. Setting out to find a new safe haven all of her own. Initially her mind had taken her straight to the garden, avoiding their little glen almost exclusively, but that had proved to be nothing more than an enormous mistake.

The sun had warmed her. A desperate reprieve from the cold walls of Malfoy Manor that she had so severely needed. After the night before and the meeting with Draco she sought out any solace she could, and at that moment it had been the few glimpses of sunshine she could gain from a secluded corner of the garden. Finding herself a bench tucked away amongst the roses as to not be disturbed as she dealt with her roiling thoughts and emotions.

How many times was she going to allow him to lift her up only to throw her back down she did not know. It felt like a never-ending cycle, making her feel all but worthless in this world. Perhaps she had been right in her first assumption, she had been nothing more than a shiny new plaything. She supposed it had finally happened, that dreaded thing her and Ginny and spoken about what felt like so long ago, she lost her knew, her shiny, and thus, his interest. She had finally given him her last piece of her. With her declaration of love, of definitively letting him in all the way he had won his game and now he was soon to be off to his next.

With a long, drawn out sigh she fought with herself to hold the tears back at bay. How could she even have any left after the torrent that had poured down her face all of the night before? All her agony stemming from that deep act of betrayal.

The warmth on her face was suddenly blocked out by a shadow and her eyes sprang open directly with the dawning realization she was no longer alone.

"Such a glorious morning don't you think?" the sickly sweet voice sang down from above her.

Hermione's eyes narrowed at literally the last person she wanted to see this morning, Hell ever again for that matter.

"What do you want Astoria?" she was done with the pretense of pleasantries as far as the witch before her was concerned.

The blonde witch stared down at her, her glowing figure blocking out the sun entirely allowing the day’s chill to seep back into her bones.

_Just what she needed: yet another Malfoy confrontation. This morning just kept getting better and better._

"Oh, nothing at all. It just seemed like you could use a bit of company. After all you looked so utterly lonesome out here." The blonde woman smiled, but her dark eyes glinted ruthlessly belying her intentions.

Instantaneously, Hermione's stomach tangled up with dread knowing this was going to be yet another one of those conversations that was going to ruin her day even further, as impossible as it may seem.

"Did it ever occur to you I might have wanted to be alone?"

Astoria smirked, her eyes dancing. "No one really ever wants to be alone, do they? And yet here you are." She grandly gestured around her indicating the empty space only filled with flowers and the buzzing of small insects. "So, it made me curious."

"What could you conceivably have to be curious about Astoria?"

"Well, your mental well-being of course!" Unbidden the woman took the empty place on the bench beside her causing every nerve in Hermione's body to go on high alert. "You see I have my family, my friends... my husband. And you have, well you have no one now, do you? First there was the fallout between you and your dear friend Ginevera," she tsked, "such an unnecessary loss that one. It is truly such a shame as to what pride can to do is it not?"

Now she found herself listening with keen interest. Astoria still thought she and Ginny had parted ways, and she was not about to correct her. That was very telling information, information that she needed to find a way to get back to Gin and Pavarti as soon as she could. It would go a long way to narrow down who Astoria's informant was.

At Hermione's silence Astoria took this as her unbidden cue to continue. "And now you find yourself here at the manor, without the last ally you had at your disposal. In all fairness I warned you quite some time ago that Draco was mine, it was just so unfortunate that you had to learn this the way you did."

Cold dark eyes turned to her, and she met them head on, anger coursing through her as she bit her tongue. "But then again I don't think there could have been a more enjoyable way for it to have happened." A long, pointed nail traced down her jawline, her thumb caressing her lips. "You see I found it quite erotic having an audience last night, I can undeniably see the allure. Such a shame that I have no intentions on sharing him ever again."

Face flushing, she jerked her head away from Astoria's grip and the witch beside her let out a cruel howl of laughter.

Hermione could still feel the lingering touch of the vile woman beside her. She would need to scrub her skin until it was red and raw, under the hottest water she could stand in order to get the lingering traces of her touch to wash away.

"Anyhow," she stood brushing at the unseen debris on her green dress robes, "I suppose I should leave you to it. Being alone it is. After all, it is something I fear you should grow accustomed to, seeing as you have certainly no one left aside from yourself."

Roiling with rage Hermione opened her mouth before she could thing better of it. "I would rather be alone than surrounded by people who I have to _force_ to be in my presence."

At this the blonde witch paused in her retreat, unhurriedly glancing over her shoulder. The blaze in her eyes had let Hermione know that her comment had hit its mark. Lazily a smile spread across her face, twisting her pleasant features into something sinister and insane.

"Oh dear, I fear you are sorely mistaken. But no worries, I will correct that impression for you shortly. In the meantime, do enjoy," her black eyes looked around the garden with contempt, "your solitude."

She had sought solace in the only place she knew how, getting lost amongst the library at Malfoy manor. Disappearing for hours at a time as she devoured book after book trying to do everything in her power to forget his indiscretion. It was all she had left, her last safe haven. Ginny and Pavarti were still locked away in their own prison, but at least they had each other. All she had was herself now, and isle upon isle of books. So she dug into her last place of refuge, allowing the stories they held inside to take her far, far away from there and all the misery that she felt inside. Luckily for her the library was full of tons of little nooks and crannies, places she could curl up and hide, running away from her problems for the day. She would face them later when she had no choice.

Many times, she heard him wander about the library around her, searching, but she was nestled away so well that even his prying eyes had been unable to find her. Even better, because while she missed his company dearly, he did not deserve to see her tears. Those she would keep for herself, just as she had done all these years. Only Ginny had been allowed to see her cry, and Ginny was who knew how many bloody kilometers away. So, as it went, day after day, he would look for her, and she would hide, the sorrow she could virtually feel radiating off of him in waves, almost pulling her to him in his anguish... almost. Instead, she chose to keep her self-pity to herself until she knew she would be able to box that too away and shove in the box of Draco Malfoy.

The days passed by, sluggishly at first, and then she developed her own routine, more often than not falling asleep in her little nest amongst the stacks. Waking just before dawn to shower and sneak to the kitchens for her provisions for the day, before returning to her nest of safety. Her room was off limits as far as she was concerned, another place Malfoy would most assuredly attempt to corner her in, demanding answers from her that he should before now know. The song and dance had proven tiring.

It was better to let it end like this, here and now, before she could get in any deeper than she now had. She was sure he had some variety of excuses up his sleeve, but nothing he said could take back what he had done. On that level they were over, the sooner he accepted that the better. Then they could once again return to their work of trying to find a way back in time to fix the entire situation this world had put them in.

Hermione placed the book down beside her as her stomach grumbled for the second time that night. The clock on the wall told her it was just after midnight, most of the household had gone to sleep hours before. Just like she had finished that last of her provisions hours ago, her collection of snacks and little bits of food she could glean from the kitchens unnoticed scarcely being enough to tide her over. None other than Draco seemed too concerned with her absence these past few days so assuredly a late night trip to the kitchens would be safe from his prying silver eyes.

She made her way down out of her hiding place, carefully listening to any signs of life in the surrounding library. Finding none she cautiously made her way down to the kitchens, where she knew she would be able to find a late-night snack. Her current book, "The Bodyguard" had fully captured her interest, and she highly doubted she would be able to sleep until she'd devoured it down to the very last page.

Casting a silent _lumos_ , she used her wand's light to guide her way through the dark and deserted halls until she found the room she was looking for. The manor kitchens were massive: housing essentially two of everything, and more food than any witch or wizard could want for. Normally she would head straight for the pantry, but not that evening. That evening, since the first time she had decided to remain unseen she found herself in a room alone with a Malfoy, the tip of her wand still alight as she stood still frozen in terror.

"Nifty little trick you have there..." the blonde before her nodded their head gesturing at her brandished wand. "It is genuinely a wonder that you are capable of using one after all the binding charms in place don't you think?"

Draco paced the floor of his study, his nerves wholly on edge as he once again tried to rack his brain for what he feasibly could have done to upset Hermione so badly that she was refusing to speak to him, yet alone even look at him or be in his presence. He could not help but feel like this had Astoria written all over it, but even then, what if it did? There wasn't too much he could do on her end was there?

No. What he actually needed was for Hermione to come to her senses and tell him what was going on. Whatever had happened he was sure he could fix it.

_Had Astoria threatened her? Had his father? Mother? He shook his head at the latter, most certainly not._

But something, something had happened, and whatever it had been was officially putting his relationship with Hermione in jeopardy. For Merlin's sake he told the witch he loved her.

He swiped his hand over his face and slid into the chair at his desk at a complete loss as to what to do. So far, he had tried everything, aside from seeking out the house elves for help, to which he knew he would only catch an earful and it would most assuredly make everything worse.

Then of course there was the matter of Astoria. Ever since the night of the party, the very night his life had turned upside down, she had been floating around the manor with a certain sense of pride. No, more like vindictive accomplishment. Whatever it was, she was most unquestionably involved. He was sure of it. The witch was all too pleased with herself for his liking. On top of that she had virtually glued herself to his side in Hermione's absence, but there was no way that hollow shell of a being could ever replace the brightness and warmth that accompanied his brown eyed, curly haired witch whenever she stepped into the room.

Letting out a sigh, he allowed his head to sag onto the rich mahogany desk before him. Days, it had been days since she had last spoken to him. Each one of those days had felt like a lifetime. Even more so what he wouldn't give to have her look at him with those soulful eyes of hers once again.

 _"I love you..."_ the memory of her lips forming those words as he had stared into those deep amber depths stuck inside his brain, circling, driving him mad. Stealing his breath away.

He needed her back. He just needed to know where to start, what to fix. If her sudden absence in his life had proved anything to him it was that he needed her to survive, more so than she evidently needed him. That concept tore at him, eating away at him from the inside out.

_Hermione Granger was everything. He had to find a way to let her know what she honestly meant to him._

_He had never said those words lightly before, and he did not intend to start now._

The Larchwood, dragon heartstring wand clattered to the floor as she let out a yip of startled surprise.

"Mrs. Malfoy..." she stammered. Her heart was racing, and she did not quite know what to do from here. She could turn tail and run back to her hiding place, her room, or even back to Draco... the last of which she genuinely dreaded doing, but it gave her peace knowing she had that card. Or she could stand her ground and see this sudden intrusion through to the end.

They had always called her the brightest witch of her age, yet they always forgot to mention the stubborn streak that came along with it.

"Please, call me Narcissa. After all we are nearly some semblance of family now, are we not? Inevitably it will be you who carries my grandchild into this world and not the wife of my son if I am correct?" the elder witch stared at Hermione, a simple curiosity alight in her eyes. She gracefully gestured to the seat beside her, beckoning Hermione further into the room.

"Mrs. Malfoy. Narcissa, I'm sorry. I did not think anyone would awake at this hour. I did not mean to disturb you." She allowed her feet to gradually begin to back away, leaving the wand on the ground where it had rolled away.

"Nonsense. I couldn't sleep any and I find I might appreciate the company." Again, the elder witch's eyes traveled to the empty seat beside her. "Please, if you would."

Hesitantly Hermione found herself moving forward, towards the empty chair, curiosity getting the better of her. Eager as she was to know what the Malfoy matron could conceivably want to say to her.

Silence filled the space between them as Narcissa continued to study her. The woman was quiet for so long that Hermione had begun to question her decision to stay and was just about to get up to leave when the woman beside her ultimately spoke.

"It seems my son is quite taken with you Miss Granger." She stated very matter of fact before taking another sip of her tea.

A very unladylike scoff flew from Hermione's lips. Evidently Narcissa was not aware of the most recent set of events that had taken place under her own roof.

"I'm finding that especially hard to believe these days."

"Oh?" the older witch lifted a questioning eyebrow, the exact same expression she had seen grace Draco's features countless times before. "That's too bad indeed. I'm quite sure of it myself."

Irritation flushed through her, this was absolutely not where she thought this conversation was going to go, and she could feel herself growing tired of it already.

"Yes, well I am not too sure it actually matters in any case. I am merely here to fill a purpose after all. The fact that I was once a favored plaything truly makes no difference in that respect."

"Is that why you are here?" Narcissa's voice was elegant even as she spoke, almost as though they were discussing the latest news or the weather and not her current servitude within Malfoy Manor.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she took another deep breath before responding. In fact, she should have left the room when she had the chance. Now, however it would seem rude and petulant to get up and leave mid conversation.

"Tis what I have been told. Besides, your son is already married after all, and I am but a lowly mudblood."

Tsking, the witch beside her shook her head.

"Self-pity and depreciation is quite unbecoming my dear. Besides, I am fairly certain your blood status matters not to my beloved Dragon. Whether you choose to see it or not is solely up to you. I do also know for a fact that he has been downright unbearable these past few days."

Inwardly Hermione felt some level of gratification to learn that he was just as miserable as she was these past few days. Outwardly, her face was a mask of stoicism. She still had no idea what game Narcissa was playing at.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You see, there is very little I hold dear to my heart these days. My son being the most important one, therefore it is a concern of his happiness."

"Better he faces that now rather than once the offering is complete don't you think? I scarcely believe I will be a welcome member of the household once all is said and done. Astoria plainly wouldn't have it." Her voice grew quieter towards the end, thinking back on her memory of the couple from the nights before. Knots rapidly tied up in her stomach making her want to be sick.

Vibrant blue eyes flashed her way before focusing back on her glass. "Indeed... that is quite the predicament. My daughter-in-law would be pleased to hear your acceptance of the matter I'm sure."

Hermione could not help the sudden burst of anger and jealousy that filled her at the mention of Astoria's title. There in lay the crux of all her current problems. Well, the ones between her and Malfoy anyway.

"But I do wonder… have you told my son your feelings on this?"

"No... we have not exactly been on speaking terms as of lately."

"One would think he would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter. Don't you agree? Besides, I do think he has far grander plans for you than the offering if my observations are correct."

Hermione's head snapped in the direction of her current company, eye's narrowing in thought. _How much could she know?_

Cool eyes assessed her over the rim of her cup. "Just my observations my dear. Just like it appears you are just as unhappy as my son is at this time. Perhaps, it would be better to just talk to him. Clear the air so to speak."

Narcissa placed her cup back down on its saucer and rose from her chair making her way towards the kitchen exit.

"Hermione dear, it would seem to me that if I were in your stead, I would do my best to make the most of the situation I found myself in. No sense in being absolutely miserable now is there?" With those last sage parting words, the witch glided out of the room leaving Hermione alone to ponder the sage advice.

Maybe she did have a point. If she were on borrowed time as it was, perhaps it was unnecessary to burden herself further with being angry at him.

Her mind made up she too rose from her seat at the table. Narcissa was right, there was still plenty of unfinished business between Malfoy and herself, to which they each had a very important role to play.

She was done hiding. Tomorrow she would speak to Draco and move past this entire fiasco.

_Did that mean she forgave him? No. But it did mean they could carry on with their lives, it was doing neither of them any good to have this chasm between them when there was still such important work to do._

Why was he still moping through the halls like this? Candidly, it was bordering on pathetic and even he knew it. But what else was he supposed to do. It had been almost a week since he last spoke to Hermione. She had stopped returning to her room all together and that damned crafty witch had hidden herself away somewhere. It was his house, and he should be able to find her... but empowered with a wand the task had proven to be near impossible.

He allowed his feet to carry him around aimlessly through the halls, stopping in various rooms he thought Hermione might find interesting or would potentially hold decent hiding places, places he himself had hidden away in back when he was a child and then again when the Dark Lord had taken up residence in his home during his Hogwarts years. His mind, however, listlessly continued to try to wrap itself around her sudden change in behavior.

_Did he scare her away? Had he shown her too much of his real self for her own comfort and startled the little witch back into hiding._

Groaning audibly, he raked his hand down his drawn and tired features. Never in his life had he imagined a woman could get under his skin like this.

"Why hello my dear husband."

Aside from this one, alas it being in an entirely different manner. She absolutely made his skin crawl.

He groaned again in agitation, louder this time for the unwelcome witch to her. Obviously, he should have been paying more attention as he had entered the room. His eyes had entirely missed the undesirable presence that was Astoria. Thinking it wiser not to acknowledge her at all lest she take it as some sign of acceptance, his feet promptly began to turn and lead him back out of the room. She was not the witch he was looking for.

"Draco..."

Letting out yet another audible sigh he forced himself to answer her. "What is it Astoria?"

"Come on now, don't be like that. After all we did have such a grand time the other night."

Delicate footsteps grew louder as she approached him from behind.

"Really Astoria it was just a dinner party."

With a giggle her hands wound their way around his middle, caressing up the front of his chest. His wife laid her head against his back as she held him in a mockery of an embrace.

"It's not the party I'm talking about love."

"Then what..." his words were interrupted as he felt her hands begin to travel further south. Irritated he reached out grabbing both of her small hands with one of his own.

"Draco honestly..." she huffed in irritation. "Just where do you think all those scratches on your back came from? And you can't tell me you haven't felt better in the last few days than you have in weeks."

_Wait...just what was she implying?_

Sure, he had noticed the claw marks on his back and chest. He had just assumed...

"Love, no one can take care of you quite like I can." The witch purred against his back, placing a gentle nip at his shoulder for emphasis.

_He had presumed wrong. Fuck!_

And apparently somehow Hermione had found out and that was why she was refusing to speak to him.

_Merlin's great saggy balls, how drunk could he have been?_

He didn't even remember what Astoria was talking about, yet alone the fact that he would touch her! After all these months of purposefully avoiding her for just this reason.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuckkk!_

"Damn it, Astoria what have you done!"

"Nothing that didn't need to be done me dear husband!" She sneered jerking her hands from his grip.

He spun on his heels at once to face the vindictive witch, glaring down at her with an icy cold glare. Everything began clicking into place, Astoria's sudden overwhelming affection, Hermione's suffocating distance, his misery. Of course, it would all be due to the courtesy of none other than his dearest beloved wife. His fingers itched at his sides wanting nothing more than to strangle the woman before him.

"You have been running around here with that trollop pretending that I didn't even exist! What else was I supposed to do? I only wanted my husband back, it's not my fault that your little whore has an uncanny knack of walking in at the wrong time." Her eyes met his straight on, petulantly glaring at him like a child.

Dawning horror and realization at her final words hit him all at once like a freight train.

_Hermione had actually seen them, him. She had witnessed him with Astoria. Bloody fucking hell!_

At the look of horror spreading across his face a slow smug grin spread across hers in response. The witch was so vile, never caring who she hurt as long as pain was involved at her own hands, she would relish it. Draco unequivocally loathed her.

“Oh yes Draco. I might have forgotten to mention that tiny little detail.” She leaned in towards him, her nails idly tracing the collar of his shirt. “I didn’t even have to tell her a thing, what the nosy little bint saw was more than enough.”

_He had to find Hermione! He had to explain, had to tell her that up until this moment that even he had not known the events that had transpired that night._

He had to get away from Astoria, before he did something he might regret, well regret the repercussions in any case. His hands pulled at his hair in frustration. If only he knew where to look! He spun on his heels, ready to fly out of the room, his efforts renewed by an exclusively new purpose.

The witch behind him cackled in triumph. "Good luck finding her and explaining. I was sure to hammer my point home the very morning after, you know. I doubt there is anything you can say that will salvage whatever pretense of a relationship the two of you had."

Cursing Astoria's name with every vile word imaginable, he hoped without hope that she was wrong as he fled from the room. If Hermione would not listen, then he would be forced stop at nothing to fix this. Dark magic be damned.

Hours and hours passed as he searched every nook and cranny he could think of before he ultimately accepted defeat. He could feel the longing that he often felt when something was just on the edge of memory, if kept looking, just once more, he was certain she would be there. Each time an idea popped into his head his mind whirled with just as much anticipation at ultimately seeing an end to his mission as the idea before, and just like the one before it would shatter around him like a million little pieces. His eager anticipation fizzling away to yet another frustrated sense of failure. On and on the cycle had gone until he factually could not fathom a single place he had not searched. Full acceptance that all hope was lost weighing heavily on his very soul.

With each failed attempt, the knowledge that he had royally fucked up yet the only thing that mattered to him these days set in deeper and deeper still. How was it that everything he touched always seemed to fall to pieces? It was truly the bane of his existence, the true curse of being Draco Malfoy.

_Everything he touched turned to shite. Absolute and complete shite._

"Hello Draco."

His feet froze in the threshold to his office, heart stuttering mid beat. He was too scared to look up in fear that now he was so far gone that he was finally hallucinating the sound of her voice. Truthfully, it wouldn't surprise him, there was nothing sweeter than the sound of his name tumbling from those soft delicious lips.

"Are you just going to stand there all day?"

Even in anger her voice was like heaven to his ears. He hesitantly allowed his eyes to rove up her body as she stood off to the side by the window. As far away from his desk as she could feasibly get. Dressed in plain clothes, the ones he had purchased her for her stays in his suite and her hair was up in one of her favorite messy buns, tendrils of wild curls escaping everywhere. She crossed her arms over her chest as he continued to drink her in. She stared back at him stonily behind tired eyes, dark circles making it look as though she had not truly slept for days.

_Gods she was fucking beautiful._

"Granger..." he chuckled to himself shaking his head, all while running his hand through his previously disheveled locks. "I have been searching for you for hours, and here you are, in exactly the last place I would have ever expected you to be. How poetic."

Walking over he allowed himself to drop unceremoniously onto the couch closest to her. He wanted nothing more than to go straight to her wrapping the tiny witch in his arms, but he could tell by her body language alone that she would make him live to regret it. His touch may yet be unwelcome, but still she had come to him. That had to mean something.

"Huh," she allowed a dry chuckle to escape from her lips, "it seems you could say that. Back at the place that started this all, the irony of it all really."

At that his head shot up, eyes locking onto hers in desperation. "Hermione, you have to know..."

"Look, you can just stop." Her voice was hollow and even, quietly steady. The voice of someone who had given up the will to fight and it tore at Draco from the inside. He doubted there was anyone who could understand that feeling more than he did. "I did not come here because I felt like you owe me some kind of explanation. I did not come here to yell, or to scream, or to even talk about it actually. I came here to tell you that I understand."

_Wait, what in the bloody hell was she saying? She should be screaming at him, cursing the entire Malfoy lineage. Hell, he didn't know what, but something! If the tables were turned, Merlin’s bloody beard he had no idea what he would be capable of, of the destruction the would follow in his wake._

"There is no way you could be saying that if you actually did." _Was that an edge of fear lacing his voice?_ "Hermione, please, if you'll only hear me out..."

"Then what Draco?" it was then that her eyes at last snapped once more to his, fire raging in their depths.

_Yes, at least this was something! Some show of emotion._

"What are you going to say that is going to take back what I saw happening in here on that very desk the other night?"

His gray eyes followed in the direction she had indicated, landing precisely on the desk across the room. Flashes of memory suddenly filled his mind. Unbidden moments of him driving himself into Astoria repeatedly, trying his hardest to break her. Sounds of her shrieking, shouting his name obnoxiously loud whilst in the throes of passion. His fingers buried in blonde hair as his teeth bit down punishingly on pink flesh.

He felt the flush rise in his cheeks, making him too ashamed to even turn around and face the gorgeous witch behind him. There was no way she was going to forgive him, not with having walked in on that. While he had been sating himself on nothing but pure hatred and anger, she would have seen an immense fiery passion. He had to at least try.

Allowing one hand to come up and cover his face, he turned back to face her. "I know how cliché this is going to sound, but it was not entirely what it looked like. I swear I never meant to. Hell, I didn’t even know I had until this vary after noon. Hermione you have to know that I would never touch her." Words poured from his lips like acrid vomit, each line tasting more bitter than the last.

"Stop."

The sound was nothing more than a whisper as waves of despair washed over her crashing into him second after second. Every horrible emotion he put on her face, he felt tenfold.

_How could he have done this?_

"Please stop. I do not need to hear anything more. She is your wife Draco… and I get that now. All I wanted to say is that I believe we can move forward and past this, continue our mission. I dare say we can both be adult enough about this to manage that aspect of our relationship as having no strings attached."

_No. No, no he definitely could not accept this. Her anger, her hatred, whatever his punishment, all of those were things he had expected and could accept. But not her blind acceptance, this was, well to be frank, unacceptable!_

He shot from his place on the couch and closed the distance between them so fast he couldn't give the action a second thought. His hand cupped her face as he tilted her eyes back to meet his. Eyes so dull and listless met him back, eyes that used to be so vibrant and full of life, and he had taken that from her.

"Hermione, look at me. You can be mad, and you can even hate me, but you are not allowed to just give up without a fight."

Her eyes met his back, silently she stared seeming to search for an answer to some unasked question within his depths. Appearing to find it and finding her own resolve as well, she gave a small nod.

“Yes sir.”

Unable to resist, he ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. Her lips parting ever so slightly at his touch in a sigh. Before he knew that what he had done his mouth had taken hers, a kiss full of every apology she would never allow him to say. Of every emotion so full of sorrow that he had felt without feeling her by his side over the last six days. Of the very thing he had done to place them in this position to begin with, almost destroying everything between them. Of his utter elation of having her back in his arms where she belonged.

The very moment she opened her mouth in an attempt to draw air he took full advantage, plunging his tongue inside to chase after hers, desperately seeking that connection they had shared before. He felt her body melt into his hand as a subtle moan meandered in the air between them. Feeling emboldened he wound one hand around the nape of her neck, pulling her in to deepen their kiss.

_He drank her in like water in the middle of a fucking desert._

When in the end he felt her fingers sliding through his hair he growled, losing himself wholly to his emotions at that moment. Reaching around and lifting her by her arse, he held her tight against him, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist. He opened the door to his adjoining room and carryied her to his bed, never once breaking their kiss.

Laying her down, he uttered every apology under the sun as he reigned worshipful kisses across her body. Every place his lips touched her skin instantly became bare to him, his magic having a mind of its own. He could feel her fingers grazing across his shoulders, and through his hair, quietly urging him on along with her small wordless whimpers.

She was quiet, so incredibly quiet. Sliding up to bring his face back to hers he caught the tear that trickled out of the corner of her eye just as she gave him the sweetest of smiles.

Her hand wrapped around his head, winding through his hair as she pulled his lips down once more to meet hers. She gave him no time to question, no time to make sure that this was what she really wanted. Instead, her actions elicited a deep groan from the depths of his chest. Legs wrapped around his bare waist, and he idly wondered where his trousers had gone. Using her legs Hermione urged him forward, aligning him directly with her center. Her tears entirely forgotten.

Draco paused, fighting for control. He knew his mind was hazy from the emotional overload he was experiencing, but he knew they were not supposed to do this. And for some reason that alone made him want it all the more. The very idea of caving in, of driving himself deep within her until she cried out his name while he spilled himself right at the beginnings of her womb. Making her his entirely. Ruining her for any other wizard who even gave her a passing glance. He clenched his teeth as his whole body trembled with the last few remnants of his resolve.

"Hermione, we can't." Painfully he gritted out between his teeth.

Ostensibly that fact made it more erotic for the witch beneath him as well. For as soon as the words had left his mouth she began winding her hips, just grazing the tip if his cock with her slick heat. Hermione used her body to expertly beg him for it, causing him to hiss in agony.

"Hermione please... if you don't stop."

This time she arched her back, the tip of his cock just barely pushing against her entrance. He growled deep and guttural at the back of his throat. She was pushing him beyond any and all rational thought, the knowing glint in her eyes made his cock twitch and grow even harder.

"Then don't stop." Her voice was so husky and molten that he hardly recognized it. Draco could even now feel the telltale tightening in his balls. Hot amber eyes stared back up at him, steeled in their resolve.

Draco warred with himself, knowing it was futile. Knowing he would give her whatever she wanted, whatever his witch needed to feel to make them okay once more.

"Shite." He loosened his grip, allowing Hermione's writhing deliciously tanned and toned body to deliberately work its way onto his member. Just when she was almost a third of the way down his shaft his control broke completely, hips snapping of their own accord, he thrust himself into her all the way to the hilt.

Hermione cried out, gripping his shaking arms as Draco stilled inside her allowing her to adjust to his intrusion. He could not, would not, hurt her anymore.

"Please..." she begged beneath him, squirming as she searched for her own friction and gratification.

He pulled out methodically before thrusting his hips against her again, repeating the motion as her moans grew to consistent cries of pleasure. As he once again became acquainted with the perfect feel of her tight cunt around him, providing that fucking amazing hot suction every time he pulled away. Her walls gripping him tightly with every wave of pleasure that rode through her.

"You're so fucking sexy Princess. Fuck!" His words whispered into her ear and straight down to the pussy that was so luxuriously wrapped around him. "Your body feels so amazing wrapped around my cock." He thrust harder emphasizing each statement, earning him a keening wail in response each time. "So fucking hot. So fucking wet. Gods I could come right now Princess, so fucking deep inside this little cunt of yours."

His teeth found purchase in the crook of her neck as he did his best to hold his own orgasm at bay. He could feel his little witch go taught in response, coiling beneath him just before her body came entirely undone with a scream. As fast as he could Draco pulled free from her body, spilling himself all over her heaving abdomen, the white of his seed a stark contrast to the milky caramel flesh beneath him.

After casting a quick cleansing charm, he collapsed down on the bed, pulling her body against him.

“Gods I love you.” He murmured into the back of her neck. The whispered words hung in the dark air around them, waiting, yet remaining unanswered. He nuzzled deeper into her curls, desperate to take whatever she was willing to give.

It had been so long since he had felt the comfort of the heat of her body fitting snugly against his. So long since he smelled the scent of her hair, that as he lay their listening to their breathing with her finally back in his arm's he fell into the most peaceful sleep than he he’d had all week.

"Another biscuit my dear child?" Narcissa offered the plate of lemon butter cookies to her guest of the evening. She had been sure to have his favorite prepared for him, just as she always did.

The tinkling giggle answered her back before the small hand reached out and took one of the yellow iced biscuits and placed upon the plate before him.

"Do tell me, how is my beloved Dragon doing as of late? I don't believe I have seen him this evening."

"Oh yes. He is with the nice Misses. He is very happy, much likes hims old selfs again."

"The nice Missus?" the witch paused, raising her eyebrow in question while casting a smile across the table.

"Yes. The nice pretty Missus with the curly hair. She makes master very happy."

"Indeed." Narcissa could not help but to smile into her cup of tea at the news. "Well then have you done what I have asked of you?"

"Mhm." The little elf nodded his big head vigorously, his ears flapping wildly up and down.

"And you have placed it somewhere easy to find?"

"Mhm." The elf nodded again. "Master would have to be blind to miss it."

"Very good Poderick. I do so enjoy our little chats." And in truth she did, the little elf was more help than he could even imagine. Plus, he genuinely was quite a charming little devil. "Another biscuit?"

Hermione lay there waiting. The events of the evening running through her mind over and over as she waited. It had felt like hours but had probably been only minutes when she finally felt the slack in the arm curled across her waist. When she at last heard the tell-tale signs of his deep, slow breaths of slumber, that she ultimately dared move from her place by his side. Deciding to forego finding her clothes completely, just to not risk any chance of waking him, she found herself tiptoeing across the room and out of his bedroom door. She knew he would come searching for her again in the morning, but she would handle that once they got there.

The moon glinted off her fully nude body as she made her way down the hallway back the safety of her room, where she could finally get her first good night of sleep in weeks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry I’m late, I suppose that is what I get for being early before. But alas, you now know how this goes, guys let me know what you think, and if you haven’t already don’t forget to check out my Tumblr for extras, sneak peeks, and other goodies! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pink-wednesdays
> 
> ….who knows it may cause me to write faster 😉


	14. Train Wreck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie.
> 
> Train Wreck
> 
> Unbreak the broken  
> Unsay these spoken words  
> Find hope in the hopeless  
> Pull me out the train wreck  
> Unburn the ashes  
> Unchain the reactions  
> I'm not ready to die, not yet  
> Pull me out the train wreck  
> Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out  
> Pull me out, pull me out
> 
> Underneath our bad blood  
> We still got a sanctum  
> Home, still a home, still a home here  
> It's not too late to build it back  
> 'Cause a one in a million chance  
> Is still a chance, still a chance  
> And I would take those odds – James Arthur

Another week had come to pass, and Hermione was, well for Heaven's sake she was Hermione bloody effing Granger. Draco had never encountered a person more stubborn, or more stuck onto a single course of action than the one he could not pull his eyes away from now.  
  
As he stood across the room, pretending to hover a dense collection of scrolls his eyes took in the sight of the witch before him. She had resumed to wearing the clothes he purchased for her around their rooms. The soft fabric fitting her lithe form in all the right places making her almost too much for Draco to bear. The sun bounced off her hair as she sat there, one knee pulled to her chest upon which she rested her cheek. Her face got that pinched look of concentration as her eyes traveled back and forth pouring over the pages that she often got whenever she was really focused on something. One of her curls had sprung free from its restraint and was dangling before her face, it took everything he had in him to not cross the room and tuck the soft tendril delicately behind her ear.  
  
But he would not. He would not destroy this one unguarded moment, not when they came so infrequently now.  
  
His gaze followed along the curve of her neck, following the line of **soft** exposed skin down to her shoulder, where one of the straps was slowly making its descent. He inhaled a shaky breath as he could already feel the pit of longing opening from somewhere deep within him. He wanted so badly to close the growing distance between them so desperately.  
  
Her tongue snaked out, licking the tips of her forefinger and thumb as she readied to turn yet another page.  
  
Feeling his eyes watching her, amber eyes looked up at him from beneath their lashes playfully.  
  
"See something you like Malfoy?"  
  
All the wind was knocked out of him from the weight of her dead, cold gaze alone. Her words and body language might be considered fine, inviting even. But her eyes, the flat empty look she always had whenever she looked at him was quietly ripping him to shreds.  
  
He pulled his fists through his hair groaning aloud for her to hear.  
  
Draco was at a complete loss for what do. He had tried everything ever since he had woken up that first morning to the usual cold bed that he was beginning to grow accustomed to. She would stay... if he asked. However, he did not quite fancy having to ask his witch to remain with him. The act simply reeked of desperation. Besides, it would mean nothing. Nothing he said or did anymore meant a thing to her any longer. She had effectively built up her wall, keeping him out, and she was refusing to let him back in again.  
  
Day in and day out he pulled her along, working on their studies, exploring new places within the grounds. Hell, he purchased flowers, jewelry, clothing you name it but nothing broke through. She took it all with a squeal of delight and a smile, she was no more his Hermione than Amora ever had been.  
  
It was almost as though she were telling him that he could have her all he wanted, but he would never truly get all of her again. She played her role, doing her best to force his upon him as well.  
  
Turning his back, he exited the room without a word. _If he had to suffer one more minute of it he would go mad._  
  
  
  
  
  
"Come and sit with me my dear Dragon. Tell me what it is that seems to be troubling you so."  
  
"Its..." Draco let out what was most likely his twelfth sigh of frustration for the morning. "Its blasted Granger." He admitted with defeat as he took a place across from his mother.  
  
The look she gave him, an odd mix of sympathy and pleasure that he was finally going to confide in her spoke volumes.  
  
"Don't you mean Hermione, dear?"  
  
"I, err, yes. Hermione." Eyes wide he took in his mother, noting the pleased look upon her face.  
  
"It's okay to speak freely darling. Astoria is out on yet another of her frequent shopping trips and your father is... indisposed at the moment. It is just you and me here for now."  
  
Draco eyed his mother suspiciously.  
  
 _Just how much has his mother already deduced?_ "I can't make heads or tails of her mother. Its like one minute she's hot and the next she is cold and cutoff. And..."  
  
"And this is upsetting you greatly."  
  
"Y-yes." The word was drawn out and hesitant as he allowed it to move past his lips.  
  
"You know we women can be fickle creatures. Yet alone in your predicament, dealing with two of them. Your wife of course, and Miss Granger."  
  
Bloody hell the last thing he had time to contemplate were Astoria's feelings in the matter. Not that he particularly cared, but she was causing him quite a few problems as far as Hermione was concerned.  
  
"That is an understatement." He slouched further in his chair, allowing the weight of the past few weeks to rest on his shoulders.  
  
"I see." He watched with calculating eyes as his mother took a small sip of her tea. "It has been, quite difficult, as of late. Having the two of them in the same house, wouldn't you agree."  
  
Nodding, unsure of precisely how to answer his mother, a fellow pureblood and follower of the Dark Lord herself. He chose to simply remain silent as he prepared his own cup, a spot of cream with three sugars, just how he had always liked it.  
  
They sat there in an amicable silence. The two studying each other over the rims of their cups. Draco remembered a time when he would tell his mother anything, but as far as Granger was concerned, he was weary.  
  
"You know what else is even more fickle than women, my dear?" His mother broke the quiet first, placing her cup down before her. "Love."  
  
Wide eyed Draco watched his mother as she moved to refill her glass, as though she were talking about nothing more than her latest additions to her garden.  
  
"You see, even your father and I have our fair share of disagreements, but alas, I do love the man so."  
  
"I would hardly call the marriage between Astoria and myself anything like your and father's."  
  
"Oh no, my love. I fear you misunderstand me. I am speaking of Hermione."  
  
For the second time he noted that his mother had opted to call her by her given name. Not at all by accident he was sure.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Indeed. Really son, do you think me blind? It is quite obvious how you feel about her."  
  
Immediately he opened his mouth to dissuade her, but his mother was having none of it. She simply raised her hand before her eyes demanding silence.  
  
He found himself nodding in defeat. His mother knew, and had known obviously for some time now, and yet... and yet she had said nothing to anyone.  
  
"Mother, tell me what I am supposed to do." He questioned throwing caution to the wind. "Its like she no longer trusts me or feels for me at all. She has all but completely shut me out."  
  
"I am positively certain she still harbors feeling for you, love. As for what you should do I am afraid I do not have the answers any more than you do."  
  
Draco let out a groan as he pulled his hand over his face, a failed attempt to wipe away any lingering feelings of self-doubt.  
  
"I will say, that people do strange things for those that they love." Whilst she spoke her eyes lit up with amusement. "Why, I do remember my own mother telling me upon her deathbed how eager she finally was to rejoin with your grandfather once and for all after all these years. Obviously, I questioned what she meant by 'once and for all.' I mean your grandfather had been deceased for many years by this point."  
  
Draco found himself speechless as his mother spoke. Not only had she openly accepted Hermione as the object of his affections, but she was now giving him advice on said love life.  
  
"Do you know what she told me?" she chuckled to herself as she relived the memory.  
  
"What did grandmother say, mother?"  
  
"She said, now don't think for a moment I gave it a single moment of stock. But she said that she had been visiting him throughout the years, and every time she had to leave it tore her heart to pieces."  
  
His brows were now furrowed in confusion. "Visiting him?"  
  
"That's what she said." Narcissa took another sip of her tea in an attempt to hide her grin from her son.  
  
"But how? That's utter nonsense." Draco looked at his mother entirely flabbergasted by the entire tale.  
  
"That's exactly what I said. Sheer poppycock, of perhaps one of her many delusions. As you know she had quite a few as she grew older with age if you remember correctly."  
  
What he remembered was his grandmother always forgetting what day, or even year it was. And now that he thought about it, she had always spoken of his grandfather as though she had just seen him yesterday.  
  
"Anyhow," she waved a hand dismissively at her son, "not that this old story would help you in anyway at all with your circumstances. It's just... love, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah..." Draco agreed, his mind wandering through all of his memories of the old bat that he had.  
  
With her long slender hand, his mother grasped his in reassurance. "I'm sure you will figure something out my dear Dragon. You always do."  
  
Nodding, he watched as she rose and made to leave the room.  
  
"Mother?" he found himself calling after her.  
  
"Yes, son?" Turning at the doorway her eyes held him in question.  
  
"How did she do it? I mean did she say?"  
  
"What? Oh!" fighting back the sly smile tugging at the corners of her mouth she composed her reply carefully. "I did ask her once, there was this ring. Apparently, it had been passed down in the Black family for generations. But she claimed the ring let her go back and visit him whenever she chose. More grand delusions of an old woman who wanted nothing more than to be with her love once again if you ask me." She paused, her bright blue eyes baring into him. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason, mother. Thank you."  
  
"Of course." Sagely she nodded her head and Draco watched her delicate frame retreat from the room. Finally, leaving him alone with his own thoughts.  
  
 _A ring? A ring that was passed down through the generations of House Black. Draco sat there, attempting to wrap his head around the possibility of the story his mother had just shared with him. What were the odds that an object like that truly existed, nonetheless one belonging to his own family nonetheless._  
  
 _It was preposterous. Insanely convenient even, too convenient to even consider as anything more than a grand story of a lonely old woman. And yet..._  
  
Before Draco knew it, he found himself racing out of the room and across the manor. If such a thing did exist it would be exactly what he and Hermione needed wouldn't it? And if a thing did exist it would most likely be in the family vaults by now. It would only be a matter of uncovering it.  
  
  
  
  
Hesitantly Draco fingered the piece of jewelry sitting coolly in the palm of his hand, the brilliant blue sapphire glinted off the light from his bedside lantern. Finding the ring had not proven to be a challenge at all, it had practically been placed front and center among his grandmother’s old collection, an intricate weave of gold and silver knots held the larger gem in place. The magic felt old, if he had to take a guess to its origins, he would say it was definitely Gaelic in nature. He had virtually no idea how this magic would work or what it would truly do. All he knew was that he had to give it a chance.  
  
He was well aware that he had royally fucked things up with Hermione and try as he might he just couldn't get on with his life knowing that. It ate at him and gnawed at him every day. Never in his life had he experienced a time when he had felt this concerned with the feelings of someone else. Someone who wasn't a Malfoy even, someone who wasn't his mother.  
  
This witch had physically given herself back to him, whilst emotionally that wall. That damned concrete, reinforced steel wall had been rebuilt and bolstered in that time she had hidden away. Keeping herself as far away from his interference as she could while she closed herself off to any possibility of being hurt again.  
  
 _Of being hurt by him._  
  
For fucking Merlin's sake. All over a moment he could not even remember. Not that he even wanted to. The very thought that he had befallen one of Astoria's traps made him sick to his stomach.  
  
That had not mattered to Hermione, and why would it. After all that he had done to her, put her through. Sure, she had borne through most of it with a smile, but he knew. He knew that it was nothing more than a show. A bloody fucking act that had been forced upon her by the role she had to play. The few times she had slipped were proof enough. He supposed that's when it had happened, intrigued, he had learned that if he gave a little she would give a little in return. At first, he had shared insignificant things. Pod, his peculiar relationships with the young elf had grown out of sheer boredom more than anything, but Hermione had seen something different entirely. That was the first time she allowed him a glimpse and again he had rewarded her. A gift of magic, earning him even more trust, an empty promise of a wand, he gained hope. By the end he was someone she leaned on and he... he was in so deep he could not find his way out if he wanted to.  
  
 _Blasting witch._  
  
She had shut him out in a span of days. Threw him away like he was nothing, could be nothing. Was he angry, damned bloody straight he was. The entire world could piss off in flames right now and he would not give a rat's ass. Astoria, that godforsaken meddling witch, she would get what was coming to her, and Hermione, well he would figure that out when the time came. As for himself. Well, he was just as much a victim in all this as anyone could possibly be.  
  
Screw that. He was never a victim. That was not something he could accept. With that being duly noted, he slid the ring on his finger, all of his thoughts focused on a singular point in time.  
  
  
  
  
  
Astoria walked in front of him, her body sashaying elegantly as she led him out of the floo and into her sister's parlor. The moment he caught up to her delicate arm snaked through his, pulling him fiercely close to her side.  
  
And so it began, Draco smirked to himself. Time travel was a mother fucker, travel replacement, well this was something else entirely.  
  
Lowly so his voice came out as nothing more than a menacing growl he leaned into his wife's ear. "Listen Astoria. Don't try a single fucking thing tonight. Do you hear me?" He brought his other arm up to grip her forearm harshly.  
  
Her body tensed under his touch. Her face turning to meet his, heated fury radiating from every part of her. "Husband, dear. I have absolutely no idea what you could mean. After all," she gave her arm a hard tug and pulled them forward, "tonight we are here, and you are mine. Keep up your appearances."  
  
As soon as they entered the room, she yanked her limb from his grasp only to be stopped by bloody Blaise Zabini. This he remembered.  
  
Curious, he tilted his head to watch the ongoing interaction between the dashing wizard and his wife. Already, his minor interruption was causing ripples to form throughout time. As he watched Astoria no longer seemed to hide her interest in the wizards passing advances. Instead, she leaned into his touch. All but encouraging his notions.  
  
 _Hmm, a fact he would have to store away for later._  
  
"Zabini." He interrupted the interaction before him, meeting Astoria's accusatory glare with one of his own, _"Appearances."_ He smirked as she stalked away to where the rest of the women were.  
  
"Ah, Drake, may mate." The dark wizard clapped him across the shoulders. "Where have you been hiding away these days? It feels like it has been ages since you graced us with your presence. I know you're all big and important now, but surely you can still carve out time for your oldest friends."  
  
 _Intriguing._  
  
Blaise pulled him along to the bar, grabbing them each a tumbler.  
  
"To us mate."  
  
"To us."  
  
Draco toasted back, just before tilting the glass and allowing the fizzling bubbles to tickle past his lips.  
  
In what way were things already changing, and just when was enough enough he wondered. At which point did he need to stop? Sure, there were things he needed to allow to play out as they had before, lest he change the timeline entirely and set things into place that he could not even fathom. Things that could be irreparable.  
  
He glanced over at Astoria to see her own calculating gaze meeting his. A drink had found its way into her own hand and it seemed that she was still on the same course of action. Maybe it was constant pushes, things he would have to maintain throughout the night.  
  
He took a deeper gulp from his glass as he contemplated the complexities faced before him.  
  
"Draco."  
  
"Theo, mate."  
  
Theo gripped his hand in a brotherly shake. "So how did you manage to get roped into this one?"  
  
Draco sighed running a hand through his hair. "Apparently this is my punishment for spending too much time with Hermione and ignoring Astoria."  
  
Theo let out a low whistle. "So, any idea on how you're going to handle it?"  
  
Just as he had before, Draco tipped his glass forward towards Theo and took a swig.  
  
Laughing his friend nodded in agreement before tilting back the glass of his own. And just like before the glasses continued to refill as the night went on. Typically, a stronger drink replacing the last.  
  
In a hushed tone, Theo leaned closer. "Hey how's Hermione holding up?"  
  
Draco bristled. His friend and his witch's relationship was something he was still trying to figure out how to handle. Essentially, he was the cause of it, placing them in numerous predicaments that would lower inhibitions as they were. If he were being honest with himself there was one thing he was grateful for when Hermione became his official offering. She was hands off.  
  
"Fine. Why?"  
  
"It's just alot mate. More than any witch or wizard should have to handle really. It makes me wonder how much of what she shows us is all an act you know?"  
  
Draco blinked, vague memories of this conversation popping into his memory. Theo had said this last time, he had forgotten?  
  
"No... I don't." _How had he never though of that himself? What parts of Hermione were real and what... weren't? Was he truly that arrogant? To think that what he put her through was enough to break her? Did he think she could ever really trust him? Love him?_  
  
"It's just... After everything, the war. The demise of everyone she cared about. Then you, me... for fuck's sake Astoria. And you took her from Ginny and now there's a death sentence on her head. What is really going on in there. It's bloody Hermione Granger mate."  
  
 _For Christ sake, Theo was right. He was utterly and completely right. The witch could be a walking time bomb for all he knew. Merlin knew he was no better, but Hermione... and he'd practically given her the means to be pure destruction. Even if they didn't accomplish what they were setting out to do._  
  
"Fucking hell Nott." He shook his head before bringing his glass to his lips for yet another stronger pull. Fucking Merlin's beard this night could not be over soon enough.  
  
Dinner was called and he found himself turning away without responding. What could he honestly say?  
  
"Draco my love." Astoria clutched to his arm as she stumbled her way to the dining hall.  
  
The overindulgent little fool. If they were on an even playing field Draco was sure he could succeed in his nights mission  
  
"Astoria, you're drunk." He reprimanded her, he glared down at her stonily.  
  
Covering her lips delicately she made a shushing noise, loud enough for the surrounding men to hear.  
  
"Just a teensy bit my darling." She made a small gesture with two of her fingers to illustrate her point. He rolled his eyes and turned looked away to hide his smirk.  
  
 _Check._  
  
As they made their way down the hall with the others Astoria stumbled forcing Draco to pause and catch her as she righted herself delicately against the wall causing them to fall to the back of the group.  
  
"Seems like more than a teensy bit. How much have you had to drink?" he looked down at her curiously. It was a rare occasion to see Astoria pleasantly plastered. In usual situation she was a shrieking mess throwing anything within arm's reach across the room at him.   
  
She only let out yet another drunken giggle in response as they resumed their way into the room.  
  
  
  
All through dinner Theo's words were chased by his encounters with Hermione through his head as he drunkenly attempted to analyze every moment. Astoria had already begun her usual round of pleasantries around the table. That was until the entire Pansy fiasco began. Sitting through that extraordinarily awkward ordeal a second time was grueling to say the least. On one hand he had to sit through Pansy relive their very personal, semi-private sordid past, to which he could never fathom one of his closest friends for doing. But on the other, he resumed the very literal battle of ceasing Astoria's pilgrimage up his thigh. He may be drunk, but he was no way in hell that bloddy knackered.  
  
 _Truly, it was such a shame this blasted ring did not come equipped with a speed up option. Even then,_ he wondered as he lazily swirled the glass in his hand _, how much longer did he have to stay. He can't remember anything pertinent happening this evening beyond dinner... he supposed now was as good a time as any to call his escape._  
  
With a sigh Draco leaned back in his chair raking both hands down his face.  
  
"What in the hell was that?" he uttered in sheer bewilderment at the doorway to the room that Daphne had just heard all their friends through.  
  
 _It would be all too easy really, and Astoria couldn't even say a word. It had all been laid out so perfectly. Why would he stay when Pansy was causing such a scene? In fact, he could just walk straight to the floo from here and leave Astoria to excuse him in his absence. He could back to the manor, back to Hermione that much sooner._  
  
"Draco, I have no earthly idea!"  
  
 _Astoria... ughh, of course she was still here. The vile witch just would not take a hint. If anything, he was sure she more than likely had something to do with the unusual turn of the night's events._  
  
"That was not what we were talking about before... I fear she may be cross with me. That was not the first thing ..." her voice trailed away as Draco felt her hands upon him once again, the heats from her hand seeping through the leg of his pants.  
  
 _And blasts, just how many times was he going to have to forcibly remove the woman's hand. He was absolutely positive she would have wanked him off right there during the dinner had he allowed it. He found that he couldn't be more exhausted by the entire ordeal. It was no wonder he had ended up so knackered._  
  
"For bloody Merlin's sake..."  
  
"If it makes any difference, I don't think any different of you after all of that." The hand resting on his thigh began an intimately caress causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.  
  
 _Yup. That about does it._  
  
Taking a deep breath Draco stood. His mind made up, he felt that he had endured just about enough this evening.  
  
 _Now if only the bloody room would steady already._  
  
His hand clutched the back of his chair as he waited for the world to right itself once again.  
  
 _Well, he supposed he should have paid a little more attention to his glass during dinner. And he very well might have had he not been too busy trying to drown out the world around him the whole night._  
  
 _And who could very well blame him?_  
  
"You should join the others. I'm going to go ahead and take my leave. This night can't be over soon enough."  
  
"You can't!" She stood hurriedly and began to follow him out of the room. She pulled him to a stop when they neared the door though, turning him to face her rubbing her hands across his chest. "I truly feel for you Draco I do, but you can't just leave."  
  
Draco shook his head in disagreement. _That was where she was wrong, very very wrong._  
  
Quirking an eyebrow, he smirked at his highly misinformed wife. "Watch me."  
  
Before he could continue out the door she pulled him forward, planting her mouth on his. He stilled above her, but she was unrelenting, her teeth roughly finding his lower lip and pulling it through them.  
  
A loud voice screamed in the back of his mind. The soft heated lips that were attacking him so furiously felt so...wrong. The taste, smell and feel of the woman pressed against his body was off. He balled his hands up at his side, clenching and unclenching his fists as he fought for control in this situation.  
  
Gradually his hands worked their way up her body. She moaned wantonly under his touch. Calmly Draco wound five trembling fingers into the soft, blonde locks falling limp in his hands. In a flash of rage he gripped her hair hard, fierce enough to cause the woman in his clutches to cry out in pain, ceasing her never ending assault on his person. Witch a sneer he jerked her hair enough that her back made solid impact with the wall behind her.  
  
"Astoria? What did I tell you at the beginning of this evening?" he sneered, lowering his face so his eyes were level with hers. Piercing her with his glacial steel glare.  
  
The dark, practically black eyes staring up at him in sheer terror did not belong to his witch. Therefore, he felt absolutely no remorse as tiny hands gripped at his forearm and clawed at his chest trying to seek purchase. He pressed his body solidly against hers, effectively pinning her to the wall and ceasing all her attempts at fighting back. "Well?"  
  
The blonde witch turned her face away from him to glare at her only possible escape route, hoping that one of the other guests would wander back into the room and rescue her from his clutches.  
  
Draco chuckled. "No one is coming for you Story. You made sure of that."  
  
Giving a hard yank on her scalp he jarred her back to attention. Wild eyes flicking back to him.  
  
"I told you not to try a fucking thing. And what are you doing Astoria?"  
  
Stubborn silence greeted him in response, fueling his flames. A loud smack resounded through the room as Draco's palm made contact with the paneling by Astoria's head. He watched with pleasure as her eyes shut tight with fear as she cowered before him.  
  
"Now, as far as I'm concerned, I have held my weight in this farce of a reunion. As such, I find it well within my right to walk right out of here this very second. Do you understand me?"  
  
As his fingers loosened in her hair ever so slightly, he felt just the barest nod of her head.  
  
"Good girl. Now, if you'll excuse me."  
  
  
  
  
Astoria stood there fuming as Draco turned his back on her and walked away from the party. All to return to her, his whore. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes as she wanted nothing more than to blast the entire dining are to smithereens.  
  
Trembling in anger she leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath.  
  
 _Merlin how she hated that man... and yet, she slid her hand up the slit exposing her thigh. She could not remember the last time she had been so turned on._  
  
She loved to hate him. Theirs was a delicate balance, full of poison and treachery, all that made their lives that much more interesting. After all, "happily ever afters" were so overrated. What you need is passion, and nothing fuels passion quite like hatred. If anyone was the subject expert on hatred and lust it would be her. After all, her own marriage was a toxic wonderland.  
  
The sound of boisterous laughter echoed down the hall and into the room. A sound rich with a deep timber and smooth as honey.  
  
 _Hmm, she knew one way that her evening could end up not being a complete waste. She would just have to show Draco two could play at his game._  
  
  
  
Draco pulled himself up the curved staircase, the twisting banister being his lifeline for support. Flooing home had proved to be a bad idea, virtually all the liquor in his blood stream was now rushing through his head. He stumbled down the wall, his hand seeking out the first doorknob he encountered.  
  
Glossy brown eyes and bushy hair snapped to attention at his intrusion into her room. There she sat, her knees tucked underneath her, bottle of whiskey in one hand and a new book in the other. He didn't even bother to try to hide the grin that spread across his face at seeing her up and waiting for him. Obviously under some form of duress if the half empty bottle of whiskey were to tell.  
  
"Draco, you're back, already?" confusion laced Hermione's voice as she took in his features from her place on the bed.  
  
"I found the party had truly grown quite unbearable, and I realized there was somewhere else I'd rather be." His feet slowly carried him across the expanse of her room. Her eyes tracking his every move as his own devoured the very sight of her, she was sporting one of his old quidditch school t-shirts and a pair of knickers. Her legs, he marveled, were gloriously bare, aside from the green knee-high socks she was wearing.  
  
The air around the crackled in anticipation. Draco needed this, needed her, and tonight he would take her back.  
  
Cupping her face, the witch he encountered was warm and open. She still let him in with a reckless abandon. Forget anything that Theo had said, he knew there was no one more perfectly suited for him than this witch right here. She moaned and Draco nipped her lower lip, gently requesting entrance. She tasted of fire whiskey, straight from the bottle. But her smell, her smell was the spicy sweet scent of coffee, vanilla orange blossoms and something else, something earthy... something that was pure Hermione.   
  
"I take it you missed me?" the words flew out of his mouth before he could think better of them, but Hermione only, sputtered and looked away, a small delectable pink flush crept into her cheeks.  
  
He chuckled nipping at her ear. "That's okay love. I have missed you more than enough for both of us."  
  
"Oh really? Is that so?" she delicately traced her fingers down his buttons.  
  
"Quite undoubtedly so." He smiled devilishly at the gleam in his witch's eyes below him.  
  
"Prove it."  
  
"Well that's just it, isn't it? One can't prove that type of thing, can they?"  
  
"Oh, I bet I can think of a way." Gentle brushes of her fingertips as they grazed the blare flesh at his waist had his heart going into overdrive. One by one the buttons on his trousers fell victim to her deft touches. Each slight wipe of her hand, he knew was fully intentional. The moment the zipper was downed he sprang free to a hum of Hemione's approval.  
  
The witch licked her lips as her heated brown eyes stared up at him. For heaven's sake he nearly lost if right there. To that very image he had fantasized about as many times before.  
  
Wrapping her hands around the man before her Hermione gently glided her hand up and down his impressive length, marveling at the silky hard texture of him. She gave just the slightest swipe of her tongue, ghosting across the tip, setting his every nerve on end. Tugging him closer she allowed her breath to trace across him as her eyes took on his swollen engorged cock. Standing above her Draco looked on with a look of pure mystification.  
  
There was always more than one way to cast a spell on a man after all.  
  
She waited until she had Draco melting in the palm of her hand before she finally leaned in, pulling him half-way into her mouth. The sound he made, guttural and primal, sent a bolt of longing right to her center.  
  
His hands wound through her hair and she allowed him to gently guide her head to different angles he wanted to fuck her mouth. She laved and licked along the way, sucking when permitted as she clenched her thighs with need.  
  
Hermione moaned, each thrust of his hips growing faster and harder. His length going deeper and deeper.  
  
Pulling her head away from his cock he gruffly ordered her to lay down. He stared at her, molten gray eyes never wavering, as he stripped himself from every article of clothing. His lean muscled body rippled with every motion, she could not even stand to pull her eyes away from the sigh of the wizard before her, her wizard.  
  
He climbed onto the bed until he was kneeling between her knees, "These, Granger, are going," he looped his finger under the edge of her knickers, vanishing them almost instantly. "The rest of this, will stay."  
  
As Draco's head lowered between her thighs a tiny alarm bell rang in the back of her head. The only problem being that she could not quite remember what it was, nor could she bring herself to care at the moment considering the horribly wicked acts Draco was performing with his tongue.  
  
The coil with in her wound tighter and closer as Draco brought her just to the edge, driving her higher and higher, over and over again. Hermione rotated her hips, searching for that friction she knew would push her over the brink. And every time she was just about right there, Draco would pull it away, just out of her grasp.  
  
In a fit of frustration, she pulled his head back up her body by his hair, wrapping her legs around his waist as her lips sought out his own. Their tongues fought for dominance as their naked bodies ground against one another. The heat of Draco's bulging member, burning a path up the inside of her leg. She arched her back to meet him, the tip of him sliding easily between her wet folds causing them both to let out a groan.  
  
"Damn Hermione..." something, there was something. Something he was supposed to say. "Fuck, you feel so good."  
  
With one quick thrust he found himself sheathed to the hilt in his witch, her breath hitched at the sudden intrusion. He had known he was lost the moment he tasted the whiskey on her breath. They had too many memories with the taste of whiskey involved, and they certainly weren't going to stop now. Almost immediately a look of bliss overcame her as she urged him onward with the heels of her feet.  
  
Damn he missed this. He had missed her warmth and touch. He had missed the feel of being inside her. He had mussed the touch of home. Because that is precisely what she was. As he looked upon her face, at the witch as she writhed wildly beneath him, he felt that feeling, deep in his heart. The ache of the pain she had caused him over the last few weeks. The desperation he had felt as he had reached out to her repeatedly.  
  
Desperately his hands groped out, clutching blindingly to whatever he could get a good grasp of. One arm was tangled in her hair as the other was wrapped around her thigh possessively. Gripping her so tightly that he knew there would be marks in the morning. He pulled them together over and over again, and he poured his emotion into her with every kiss.  
  
She gasped as a wave of need so intense blasted through them causing Draco's to grind into her deeper.  
  
"Yes! Draco, just like that!" she arched her back meeting him stroke for stroke as she felt herself quivering around him.  
  
He grunted in her ear as he continued his punishing rhythm, a ghost of his hot breath the only warning preceding the pinch of his teeth as his bit down punishingly into her shoulder.  
  
Hermione fell apart, ripping at the seams all around him, her walls tightening and milking him. Pulling him down under with her as he buried himself even deeper inside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay, you know life, holidays, etc... I honestly had big plans to spend much of my off time writing but that didn’t pan out, so here you go.. and sorry again! As always guys let me know what you think, and if you haven’t already don’t forget to check out my Tumblr for extras, sneak peeks, and other goodies! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pink-wednesdays


	15. Can I Be Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> Can I Be Him
> 
> I heard there was someone but I know he don't deserve you
> 
> If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you
> 
> I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips
> 
> It's all that I've been thinking about
> 
> Cause a light came on when I heard that song
> 
> And I want you to sing it again
> 
> I swear that every word you sing
> 
> You wrote them for me
> 
> Like it was a private show
> 
> But I know you never saw me
> 
> When the lights come on and I'm on my own
> 
> Will you be there to sing it again
> 
> Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories - James Arthur

Draco awoke the following morning, sunlight peeking through his thick emerald curtains. The smell of amber and vanilla, and something else so decadent that he had come to attribute solely to the tiny witch who was wrapped possessively in his arms alone, overwhelmed his senses. He relished her warmth, and how perfectly she fit tucked up against him. It had been so long since he had been able to hold her through the night.  
  
With a wince he finally tried to open his eyes. The pounding in his head was merciless and even the faint sliver of light making its way through the curtains was its own type of hellish torture. He lay there trying to remain as still as possible, willing the world around him to stop spinning. Everything was a blur of greens and rich mahogany as his eyes repeatedly tried to focus. Merlin's bloody beard he hadn't had a hangover this bad since well... since the night he had gone to Daph's with Astoria.  
  
He bolted upright as the previous night's events came crashing down around him. The world tilted rapidly and his stomach twisted in a knot, and he knew immediately he had made a grave mistake. Jolting out of his bed as fast as he could he rushed into his lave with just enough time to empty his stomachs contents into the toilet. The light was brighter in there, reflecting off the marble tile in a glaring intensity that had him wanting to claw his eyes out.  
  
 _Damned fire whiskey_.  
  
Lurching over he heaved again and again, his abdomen cramping in waves, until he had nothing left to offer the porcelain basin before him. Slowly he climbed to his feet to reach toward his bathroom mirror and the treasured contents he knew that lay waiting inside. Nearly blind, his hand grabbed the first bottle of red elixir he saw and downed the liquid within. He stood there, arms bracing on the sink for support as he waited for the potion to take into effect.  
  
Good gods he must have been absolutely trashed the night before. Something blue sparkled up at him from below on his right. He lifted his hand slowly studying it. The ring, his grandmother's ring. He had yet to take it off.  
  
The last thing he remembered was stumbling into Granger's room after leaving Astoria behind at the party. However, none of that explained why he now found himself in his own on suite rather than Hermione's. It would seem to reason if he had fallen asleep in Hermione's room then he would have woken in her room as well. And yet that hadn't been the case at all.  
  
Puzzled, Draco ran the nights events over and over in his mind. Wracking his brain for any slips of recollections where they might have stumbled into his quarters at some point throughout the night, but he could not find a one. 

  
He rinsed and then magicked the taste of sick from his mouth. A stern look crossing his features as he returned to his bed and the woman lying mostly clothed amongst the satin sheets.  
  
 _Well that was certainly strange now wasn't it?_  
  
In his memories he knew for certain in his last memory of the evening Granger had definitely _not_ been wearing _that_. He stared at the pale satin pink negligée in wonderment.  
  
 _And just when had she gotten that little piece of clothing?_  
  
He was positive that little number was not on the Astoria's approved attire list.  
  
As he watched the witch before him began to stir, her slender limbs stretching out languidly as she stretched and twisted almost catlike. Her dark hair and warm skin causing a stark contrast against his dark sheets.  
  
Hair askew, she angled her head to the side, a slow upturn beginning to spread across her pouty lips. She opened her eyes lazily, the burnished amber tones firing to life with flecks of gold in the morning rays.  
  
"Do you see something you like, love?"  
  
 _Yes._  
  
His gut felt like it wanted to go straight to the floor as he himself had to stop from falling to his knees.  
  
He had not seen that look in her sweet brown depths in weeks. Weeks that had nearly wrecked his soul entirely.  
  
There was not a single ounce of loathing in her eyes as she looked up at him from her perch upon his bed. She gazed at him the way she used to, more so in fact. She looked at him in a way that made all the air want to leave his lungs in one giant rush.  
  
Below him lay an angel. His very reason for breathing. The sole purpose he was willing to burn the world down and risk it all to save her. To see that look on her face, a look with even a modicum of happiness, and knowing that he was once again the cause of it... he would trade it all for her.  
  
Draco's world was spiraling. He didn't know all the logistics of what exactly had happened. Hell, he didn't even know what time he was in right now. For all he knew he was still in the past since that heavens blessed ring was still adorning his finger. What he did know, however, was that she was back... he had fixed it, or was fixing it. The blasted thing had worked.  
  
 _He had to find mother._  
  
  
  
With a rapid clip, he rounded the corner of his parents' wing. The sapphire blue ring still shone on his right hand for fear of messing things up if he removed it. He needed to know more before proceeding. There had to be absolutely no risk to losing Hermione again.  
  
There was no possible way he could live through it.  
  
"Mother?" he called out as he entered the main corridor, knowing his mother would most likely be in one of her sitting rooms at this hour, with some silly romance novel in hand.  
  
He'd just made it a few steps past a set of doors when he heard his mother's voice calling back out to him.  
  
"In here darling."  
  
Quickly doubling back full of anticipation Draco went into the sunlit atrium where she must have just been lounging in one of her favorite couches, and as predicted, with one of her latest novels.   
  
"Well, something undoubtedly has you flustered, doesn't it? Come," she gestured at the chair beside her with long willows fingers. "Sit and tell me whatever is bothering you my dragon."  
  
He quirked an eye at her curiously familiar word choice all the while taking the offered chair.  
  
"Where's Astoria? I haven't seen her about today..."  
  
Narcissa waved a hand flippantly in the air with a roll of her eyes.  
  
"Who knows these days. It seems like she's always out and about somewhere." She leaned forward and squeezed his knee smiling demurely with a telling twinkle in her eyes. "It's better this way? Is it not?"  
  
What did she mean Astoria was out all the time? The last thing he had remembered he had practically needed to cast a _bombarda_ to get the woman off his side.  
  
"I am not sure I know what you mean?"  
  
"Things with you and Miss Granger seem to be going quite well as of late have they not?" His mother feigned looking at her nails for imperfections, all the while let what would have been a staggering confession slide from her lips as easily as honey.  
  
At least that would have been the effect, instead Draco found his brows furrowed as he studied his mother studiously. She had already told him she knew of Hermione.  
  
"Now dear. Don't be alarmed." She mistook his contemplative silence as quiet dismay. "You don't think there are things that would go on in my own house that I would not be aware of now did you?"  
  
Head shaking from left to right, Draco came to a slow dawning realization.  
  
"Mother?" he questioned her delicately. "Do you remember having this conversation before? Well not this exact one but one quite like it."  
  
Instantly his mother looked taken aback as though he had just personally insulted her. Narcissa was anything if not mentally astute and had a memory like a whip. If anyone could rival him in his skills as a legilimens it would be his mother. He had been her brightest pupil after all.  
  
Quickly, before she could unleash to torrent of words that were gathering at the tip of her tongue, Draco rushed forward plunging into unknown waters.  
  
"Mother!" he held up his hand, showcasing the blue sapphire bit of jewelry before her. "Do you know this ring?"  
  
"I..." her mouth closed, and her lips pursed. "Why yes, buy why?"  
  
Slowly her striking blue eyes, wide with alarm looked up at him. "Oh dear, my son what did you do?"  
  
"What did I do?" Draco chuckled mirthlessly. "More like what did you do? You're the one who put me on this ring after all. Now, mother what I need from you is for you to tell me all the details pertaining to this lovely little trinket."  
  
"Me? Why, I would never. Why would I?"  
  
He let out a long and heavy exhale. This, he really did not feel like going over again.  
  
"To make a long story short, I messed up and made a huge mistake with Granger. I believe you led me to this," he eyed the gemstone pointedly, "to help."  
  
Letting out a small lament of her own she shook her head knowingly. "Tell me one thing... were you very unhappy?"  
  
He nodded. "Very."  
  
"That would do it then." She clasped her hands before her accepting her blame. "Well, this must be so. Now I need you to tell me two things and then I will answer any questions you may have if I am able."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"How far back did you go?"  
  
"Two weeks, give or take."  
  
His mother simply bobbed her head up and down before glancing back up at him to meet his eyes for her next question.  
  
"And are you and Miss Granger happy now?"  
  
He felt the corner of his mouth tug up even against his wishes. "Very."  
  
"I suspected as much. Well Draco, it appears that whatever you have done has lost you two weeks."  
  
"Come again?"  
  
 _He was not quite sure he heard her properly. He had lost two weeks. How was that even possible?_  
  
"It is safe to remove the ring now. I assume you woke up like this and that is why you came to find me?"  
  
He simply nodded and once again his mother eyed the blue ring glinting on his finger.  
  
"Well, what's done is done. You can remove it. Whatever has happened is now as solidly set-in stone as the time you came back from and wanted to change.  
  
Almost hesitantly, he twisted at the metal, slowly allowing the ring to slide of his hand. Fearing the moment that it passed the tip of his finger and his world would shift violently back into place. The exact same as before, with the weight of Hermione's disappointment on his shoulders once again.   
  
The ring fell into the palm of his other hand, and he braced for the worst, but nothing happened. His world did not spin around him, nor did it suddenly pull at his body snapping him back into place at the time whence he belonged. There he sat exactly as he was moments before with his mother's almost saddened gaze staring back at him with the sunlight filtering through the greenery bouncing off her ivory skin.  
  
A sigh of relief flew past his lips. Hermione would remain the same, he got to keep her. He knew it was selfish of him, but he had long passed the point of caring. He no longer saw the harm if they both could be happy.  
  
His mother opened her arms to him, motioning for him to begin with his questions.  
  
"Well, I suppose that answered one of them, in a way, but how long does this magic truly last?"  
  
"While the direct effects of the ring are only said to last throughout an entire day until the next sun rises. Its long-term effects, which can be quite staggering if you are not careful, will literally last a lifetime. Any changes you make back in time will cause a permanent ripple effect in the present."

He felt very assured with her answer, as he had already begun to suspect as much. However there was one thing that was beginning the weigh on him.

“How do you know so much about it? When you first mentioned it you practically called it a flying fancy.” His hand waved before her, “Now here you sit practically an expert.”

Looking down so as to not meet his eyes, Narcissa replied in a very measured tone. “Your grandmother kept a diary… of her travels.”

Flabbergasted, Draco’s eyes could not leave his mother. Here she was, just an entire wealth of knowledge. All at the tips of his fingers. Now he just had to get the diary as well. Then he and Hermione could study it inside and out, see if they can pair this magic with anything they have already found. Merlin’s beard if they even needed to.

“Draco?” the sound of his mother’s voice cut off his rampant thoughts.

“Yes, mother?”

“Are you done? With the ring that is? Are you going to put it back now that you are happy again?” Eager eyes looked up at him, desperately hoping for an answer that he could not, would not give her.

Ever so deliberately, his head shook from side to side.

“I feared as much.” Her voice was small and defeated. It ate at him to hear his mother like that, but he had to remind himself he was doing this all for her as well… perhaps.  
  
"What did you mean when you said I had lost two weeks?"  
  
She sucked in a sharp breath. "And thank goodness that's all it was. I should be ashamed of myself and my blasted meddling." She looked at him again, warmth flowing through her eyes as she once again softened towards him. Her hand reached out to stroke his cheek. "Alas, I never could bear to see you in pain. You are my one true weakness my little love."  
  
She exhaled before carrying on. "None the less. You have left the time you went back to and returned to the precise corresponding time you left, however with whatever modifications there may be. But my dear... you never got to live them. You will forever be stuck with the memoirs of the past you did suffer through."  
  
Draco stared down at the delicate piece of jewelry in his hand. It was still exceedingly difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that he had gone back and changed time so significantly it would seem. All was great in Malfoy manor, he and Hermione were finally content once again, Astoria was nowhere to be found, and his mother had unknowingly provided a very realistic solution to their other problem all in one fell swoop. If dropping two weeks of his life, _this_ life, had been the cost, he would gladly pay it ten times over.  
  
  
  
It was a truly glorious day, and Hermione had insisted they go outside to do their reading in the sun and fresh air. Draco couldn't stop his eyes from stealing glances at her every few moments to catch the breeze trail through her hair as it carried her vanilla and amber scent to tease his nose. He would stare to marvel at the way the sun warmed her cheeks giving her a rosy hue. Or, more simply, just to make sure she was still there at all and not just a figment of a dream he would awake from at any moment.  
  
"What is wrong with you Draco?" she flicked a flower bud at him as she scrunched up her nose in that adorable way that he liked. "You're being so weird today."  
  
"Nothing." The word tumbled effortlessly from his lips. "Everything is perfect. Exactly as it should be."  
  
She humphed from her place in the green cushy grass. "I wouldn't exactly call this my idea of perfect."  
  
"No?" he glanced at her out of the side of his vision.  
  
"No."  
  
"Pray tell, what would you consider perfect Miss Hermione Granger?" he flicked the flower bud back at her pegging her square between the eyes.  
  
Try as he might, he failed to hide the smirk that crossed his face at her swotty scowl. He supposed there were just some things he would never grow out of, and irking Hermione Granger was at the top of his list.  
  
"For starters, I would not be your sex slave."  
  
One eyebrow quirked. "Is that what you think you are?"  
  
"In the eyes of this farce of the ministry, yes."  
  
 _She had a valid point there._  
  
He shrugged. "Fair enough. What else?"  
  
"My side would have won the war, obviously." She stated in a very matter of fact manner.  
  
He merely nodded, understanding where the rest of this was now heading and realizing how he had messed up in leading her mind there.  
  
"And my friends... they would still be here." Her voice was a whisper as she rolled onto her back to glower up at the sky.  
  
"Hermione..."  
  
"I know Draco. I know you didn't mean it that way. It's just... sometimes when I'm with you l, like this I find that I am able to forget. If only for a moment. And it just isn't really fair, is it? Ginny is still stuck at the Lounge being forced to do Circe knows what to get by and I'm here... laying in the sun, eating delicious meals with you by my side, feeling safer than I have in a very long time."  
  
"But it's not as though you have forgotten them." His fingers traced the ring he carried in his pocket. He had yet to tell her about his latest discovery. He wanted to hold onto this time with her for just a little longer. "You, we, are still working on a way to make things right."  
  
"But that's just it, isn't it? We have gotten so far... but we have moved nowhere really. We aren't any closer to saving any of them."  
  
He should tell her. Show her the ring and the powers it held. Explain himself, at least to some extent.   
  
He opened his mouth but was abruptly silenced as she continued her ramblings.  
  
"And even if we did find a way to go back that far... what would we do Draco?"   
  
  
Puzzled, he glanced over at his witch who glared stubbornly at the sky. Almost as though it alone were entirely to blame for their entire predicament.   
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I have been thinking."  
  
When wasn't she thinking? But he held that comment in to himself as the beautiful witch before him persisted to gaze up at that sky as she resumed on with her musings.  
  
"Say we do go back, is there _really_ a way to change what happened? What i mean is, is there really something that the two of us can do that would affect the tide of the war so significantly that it would alter the ending and change history all together? Completely derailing..." she threw her arms up gesturing wide, "this."  
  
Again his thoughts went straight to the ring in his pocket and how significantly he had managed to change the history of two weeks with just a few simple actions that he himself had committed. But that was just to ensure Hermione was not angry at him any longer, that was just to prevent him from making a huge mistake. What she was saying made sense. What could the two of them possibly do to make a difference in an entire war?   
  
  
_What could they try that hadn't been thought of before?_  
  
They had been so focused on finding a way to get back to that point in time that he had hardly given any thought as to what they would do once they actually got there. It wasn't as if he could vanquish the dark lord himself. That was a screaming death sentence, he in no way had the power to take on the crazed wizard. Not to mention the prophecy...   
  
_No, Harry had to kill him. Him or no one at all. That was the end of that._  
  
But that simply left even more to question.  
  
Sighing himself, he too rolled onto his back to stare up at the slightly cloudy sky above them in stricken consternation.  
  
"Why do you always have to be such a 'know it all' Granger?"  
  
"I know... it can be infuriating at times."  
  
They lay there in silence, breathing, allowing the world to slowly pass them by. The gentle breeze shifted in the trees scattering the leaves that had dared to change their colors just a little earlier than the rest. The two of them both lost in their own thoughts about life, both the past and the future.  
  
For the first time since all this started Draco felt a small pit in his gut grow. He had lost two weeks. Two weeks when life had moved forward virtually without him in it, where he had no memories whatsoever of any event that had transpired. If they did this, used this ring, how much time would they lose? Years?  
  
Four years when he and Hermione would have no idea if they had really succeeded in changing a thing. Four years, where even in a perfect outcome, they would be strangers in their own lives.   
  
The pit grew deeper. A gnawing sense of dread attempting to climb its way out.   
  
Four years where she wouldn't have needed him. She would have everyone she loved back, Potter and all the Weasels.   
  
_Weasley. She had cared for the bloke hadn't she? Where would they be now if he hadn't thrown himself before the shots of fire right after Harry's demise?  
_  
Jaw clenched, Draco tried to stop the thoughts that were now racing through his head. The more he thought about it, allowed the 'ifs' to flourish, he fed them to the dark pit of foreboding that threatened to consume him from within.   
  
  
_Would he fit in her perfect future?_  
  
"In your perfect world Hermione..." he trailed off as fear took over. He could not ask her, not because he didn't already know the answer, which he did. But simply because he could not bear to hear the answer come forth from those delicate lips.  
  
"Yes, Draco?" Her head turned to look at him, her wild mane of curls pillowing around her.  
  
"It's nothing." He stood abruptly offering his hand out to her to assist her off the ground.  
  
He would tell her about his grandmother's ring another time. It wasn't as though they were ready to go back yet anyway. Like she had pointed out, they didn't even know where to begin to start with their plan to change the world.  
  
For now, he had Hermione to himself. Peacefully for once and that was how he would keep her. With Astoria virtually out of the picture he was fairly certain this was the most peace he was going to get.   
  
Mentally he slammed a grate over the ever darkening pit of doubt growing in his mind.  
  
He wondered how Hermione would react if he told her that this was in fact his idea of a perfect world. Just the two of them, battling the odds, whatever they may be.  
  
Tugging at her playfully he folded her into his arms and rested his head against her hair, breathing in everything that was Hermione. She was so small, so helpless. But he knew that was only here in this world where her magic had been taken from her. Secretly he loved that she was forced to rely on him for any spare bit of magic he was willing to give her. Hell, he loved the fact that she was forced to rely on him entirely for everything. Any ounce of happiness that was to be found in her sheltered world; he was now the one who gave it to her.  
  
Draco wrapped his arms around her tighter as though he would never let her go again. That was the part that scared him the most. He knew if the time came, he would not be able to let her go. It was as though her very essence had been burned into his soul. Every bit of him needed her to survive and to let her walk away would be tantamount to suicide.   
  
She would forever and always be his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the late post. I’m hoping to make it up to you and hoping my writing funk is over!! Also….. **whispers** sorry for the shorter chapter. But, it is full of TONS of information 😉 Happy New Year every one! Feel free to tell me what you think.


	16. Six Feet Over Ground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I do not own the rights to any Characters in this Fanfiction, those all solely belong to JK Rowling herself. I just claim the plunnie
> 
> Six feet Over Ground
> 
> Today's the day I found myself alright
> 
> When I look ahead, pretend it never came.
> 
> I found a way to keep my head above
> 
> But the hardest part is to say 'No it's not'
> 
> But I drove home when my mind turned off for once
> 
> And its funny what you hear when you don't say a word
> 
> Well I'm okay, and I'm still breathing
> 
> I'm still six feet over ground
> 
> But you don't need to know now
> 
> You don't need to know how I'm doing – Aquilo

Sometimes the world changed in small increments. They happened so slowly around a person that it was often hard for them to take notice. A minor shift in attitude here, or maybe a smile or a passing comment that was not quite as harsh as before there. And sometimes the world could change around somebody in such a drastic way that it regularly left the person stunned and reeling. Their hands reaching out for purchase and stability on anything that they could desperately hold onto as though their life depended on it.  
  
For Hermione her world was a constant shock of both. Draco had entered her life like a wrecking ball, once again upheaving all she had grown to know in the four years of her captivity. Followed once again by little moments, small, tiny things that slowly shifted not her world per se, but most assuredly the way she noticed herself viewing it through her jilted eyes. More often she discovered the times of small increments, her only time to breathe... except for this time.  
  
This time as Hermione lay beside Draco, listening to the even sound of his sleeping breath, the small changes had her heart racing. Every fiber of her filling with dread as a slow dawning realization began to wash over her.  
  
A truth she had been avoiding for days now, but the niggling in the recesses of her mind never quite leaving her be. The suspicion never too far from the forefront of her thoughts.  
  
Lately life at the manor had considerably exceeded anything she could have imagined. Certainly far more than she had even dared to hope for when Draco had told her she would be moving there those few short months ago.  
  
Now, just like the world outside their window, the leaves all having shed their greenery for the gold, reds and oranges of the cooler season, her life would change once again as well.  
  
Unable to lay there any longer as her anxiety finally got the best of her, she slipped from the grand four-poster bed and tip toed silently out of the room. She still was not sure if she was ready to face anyone yet, the need to be alone pulled at her heavily. The tremendous weight of the knowledge she bore making her feel leaden like stone within.  
  
Now only if she was sure she could maintain it. Use it to her advantage. Heavens knew she was going to need it.  
  
Her feet mechanically made her way down the hall to her rooms. Maybe a hot shower to ease some tension. No, that wasn't what she wanted. How she felt.  
  
Inside she was shutting down, she felt cold to the world. Right now she needed nothing more than to lose herself.  
  
She donned a pair of joggers and her tennis, opting to throw on a pullover at the last moment.  
  
Frosted grass crunched beneath her shoes as she made her way across the lawn towards the massive hedge maze. Deep shadows beckoned her forward in what little morning light there was. Crisp, cool fresh morning air filled her lungs and she used it like a tool to tamper her insides as she slowly allowed the darkness of the labyrinth to engulf her.  
  
She slowed her heart rate as she sluggishly traversed the edges of the shrubbery, claiming turns at random, the desperate need to be lost. To somehow escape from her life was clawing at her from the inside, desperately trying to climb its way out of her throat as she fought to keep it at bay.  
  
 _Not yet. Not now._  
  
She knew she would feel the place when she found it. A place that she sought no matter how unknown it was to her.  
  
 _She would know it when she uncovered it._  
  
Icy leaves bit into her fingers as they left a trail in the bushes on either side of her in her wake. Her hot breaths of air leaving clouds of vapor for her to traipse through.  
  
Hermione felt the familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach as the need for freedom took hold of her. For all the things she was, Hermione Granger knew she was anything but free. Yet another reality that would soon come crashing down upon them all.  
  
The pretend, the escape, it had been fun, but it had never been truly real.  
  
Butterflies flurried, then fled, giving way to something akin to a small sparrow. The feeling almost took her breath away as her heart began to pound in her chest. Stumbling Hermione fell to her knees in a small roundabout with a fountain hidden deep within the maze.  
  
Cold moisture soaked into the knees of her joggers, but she found that she couldn't take the time to care. Digging her hands into the cold and hardened Earth she searched for purchase as her breaths began to come out in short pants.  
  
The monster inside of her was winning, taking control, clawing its way through her skin. Buckling down Hermione found she had lost the will to fight.  
  
 _This place, this place felt fine. It was as good as any, besides... what did it truly matter in the end of it all?_  
  
Pressing her forehead hard into the frigid earth she finally released the scream that tore from the very core of her being. Tears, unbidden, burned hotly down her chilled face to drip onto the ground beneath her.  
  
A wail filled the air after the silence of her cry, quickly followed by a second one. Before she knew it, she was curled in on herself sobbing helplessly into reticence and isolation she had so desperately sought.  
  
This was her one allowance. Her one time she would allow herself to feel this pain. To feel the weight of her world.  
  
It was the one last time she could afford for herself to be weak.  
  
She cried until the cold seeped into her bones from the chilly and damp ground beneath her, causing her to shiver near uncontrollably. In the end her breaths came out staggered as she gasped for air. The clawing need of desperation not quite gone, but sated, manageable.  
  
Zeroing in on the fountain her eyes focused on nothing in particular, just like her mind, for once she allowed it to go blank.  
  
Numb.  
  
 _Finally._  
  
She fixated on breathing, listening to her heartbeat as the rapid pounding in her chest gradually began to slow to a more familiar rhythm.  
  
Still, she lay there. Riding with the shivers rather than fighting against them as they wracked her body. It was easier this way. Easier to just accept what was coming at you that to fight against the tide.  
  
She blinked away one last tear, her eyes finally finding purchase on the angel depicted in the statue.   
  
_How very odd._ She couldn't help but think. _Why would a Wizarding family have a statue of an angel on their lawn?_  
  
Unhurriedly her curiosity propelled her to her knees, then, gradually still, to her feet. Willing her feet forward she cautiously approached the fountain. As she got a closer look Hermione discovered that the statue within the water feature was not an angel at all, but in fact one of Malfoy's ancestors it would seem.  
  
"Cordelia Malfoy..." her whispered words seemed to circle loudly in the surrounding air. "Followed her love not only throughout time, but also in death."  
  
Her eyes stared blankly at the stone face who watched just as vacantly back at her. Poetic really. Almost fitting that she would find herself here out of all the other alcoves tucked away among the hedges.  
  
"Throughout time..." she mumbled that bit to herself. It was an interesting thing to put on a memorial commemorating a loved one's passing. "It would seem they have the death part right."  
  
Letting out a final groan she turned away from the serene Lady Malfoy and began her trek back through the labyrinth. Back to the manor. Numb to the cold as she hardly felt the shivers at all now, and unfeeling to the horrors that always appeared to consume her life.  
  
Choosing to remain undetected by anyone for just a little while longer, Hermione opted to enter the manor through a different way than she usually would, the kitchens. Upon entering, she was not surprised to see the room bustling to life as the Malfoy family house elves were preparing breakfast and otherwise readying themselves for their master's day ahead. The little elves eyed her warily while skating around her as she navigated her way through the grand room. She had not found herself in the kitchens much, not yet having the need, as it were the tiny creatures seemed weary of her. Aside from her initial tour of the manor when she had first arrived, she believed she had been here to use the back exit with Draco only a handful of times.  
  
Usually, Hermione would take a moment like this to attempt to get to know them. As it had proven in the war any ally was a good ally, but she just could not muster up the sentiments today in her current gloomy state. Thoughts of the war and a certain elf in particular only served to make things worse. She continued her shuffle through the room, as slowly the magical heat radiating through the floors and what emanated from all the stoves began to thaw her.  
  
"Oh, for Salazar’s sake!" Hermione startled, freezing in her tracks as a sudden voice in the room caught her off guard. It had not been quite squeaky enough to have been an elf, which had only meant she was not as alone as she had thought she would be.  
  
"Just what in Great Merlin as happened to you, you poor thing." Her head swiveled toward the sound just in time to see Narcissa Malfoy gliding to her place in the kitchen. Her brow creased lips pinched with concern.  
  
Taking her fully by surprise, the elder witch placed both her hands on either of Hermione's shoulders as she pulled her in for a closer inspection, all the while her heart once again felt like it was about to race out of her chest with fear.  
  
The Malfoy matriarch had shown little interest in Hermione since her first day of arrival. If anything, it had appeared as though she went out of her way to avoid being near her all together. And up until now that had suited her just fine. So, the moment that those slender, yet somehow motherly hands began to guide her to a place at a table Hermione had clearly not been paying enough attention too, she found herself in too much shock to do much else than to follow along.  
  
"Here, have a seat." The chair magically slid out before her as Narcissa gently nudged her forward.  
  
"That is very kind of you Mrs. Malfoy, but I'm fine really. And besides I really must be getting back." Panic rose up inside of her as she realized she desperately needed to escape this situation. The desire to put as much distance between herself and the kitchens was becoming overwhelming.  
  
"Please, Miss Granger. I insist." The woman was still a picture-perfect model of the gracious host, but the belying note in her tone also told Hermione that she would not be accepting _no_ for an answer.  
  
Nodding her head solemnly she sat in the procured chair. A million thoughts circling through her head as she tried to think of the best way to get out of this unscathed. The matriarch took the seat across from her with a seemingly gracious smile, and yet Hermione knew better than to let her guard down.  
  
"How do you like your tea? It absolutely imperative that we get you something hot to drink at once. You simply look as though you very well might die of the chills.  
  
She opened her mouth, to tell her that she was fine, only to close it once again at the sharp glare she received from the woman across from her.  
  
Hermione cleared her through. "Two spoons of honey and a spot of cream." Her voice, to her credit had been calm and unwavering, if not a bit flat to her own ears.  
  
 _Why not?_ She let out a sigh. _They had already taken ownership of every other aspect of her life, why not when she decided to take her tea as well?_  
  
She just felt so bone tired, like perhaps this time the universe had finally one. After all it had been doing a pretty good job of stacking itself up against her the moment she lost both Harry and Ron. It would only stand to reason that eventually she would fall under all the overwhelming weight.  
  
Like the dutiful guest she was expected to be Hermione primary held her teacup and saucer before her as she slowly began taking delicate sips from the China. The entire time she was sure to keep her eyes low and glued to the table before her as to not look at her hostess directly. She still had no idea just what Narcissa wanted from her, but truly she would much rather not find out.  
  
They sat there. Alone in a gravid silence, assessing blue eyes snaking up to scrutinize her every so often as the two of them sipped their tea.  
  
However loathe she was to admit, Hermione did feel significantly better than the mere moments before when she had stumbled in from out in the cold. Slowly, but every so surely warmth and with it sensations were spreading back throughout her limbs down to her toes and fingers. The rapid intensity of it almost making her question just what Narcissa had placed in the tea.  
  
"I do say Hermione, dear, you are looking a little flushed. Are you feeling well?"  
  
Narcissa's words, while innocent enough, immediately caused all the blood to drain from her face.  
  
For the life of her, Hermione could not remember a time when the matron witch had spoken her given name... ever. To make matters worse she apparently seemed to be a particular level of observant that she had not been used too since her days of being under Professor McGonagall's scrutiny.  
  
She opened and closed her mouth, words failing her as she attempted to find some fitting response for the woman whose crystalline eyes seemed to pierce straight through her and all her secrets.  
  
"It was just the chill from the outside." Nervously she tucked an errant curl behind her ear as she looked anywhere but at the blonde woman across from her.  
  
"I see."  
  
Another bout of silence sat heavily between them as yet again Hermione found herself pondering the quickest escape from the situation. There was a long list of people whom Hermione wished to not speak to at the moment given the circumstances and the Malfoy matriarch most definitely ranked among them.  
  
Finishing her tea in record time, she discovered herself attempting to alleviate herself from the room and its current company via any means necessary.  
  
"Thank you so much for your hospitality Mrs. Malfoy. Really, I must be getting back..."  
  
"Were Always the eager one, weren't you?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
A serene smile graced her motherly features. "Just from what I remember Draco always telling us about you from school."  
  
Frozen to her seat, she sat there staring at the blonde woman in shock.  
  
"Draco spoke about me?"  
  
"Mmhmm." She nodded placing her cup delicately before her. "Quite frequently if I do recall."  
  
Hermione felt her face scrunch in confusion. She simply couldn't imagine a time when Draco would have possibly had told his parents about her.  
  
"Whatever about?"  
  
"Oh, you know..." an elegant hand waved flippantly in her direction. "Just this and that. It really got under his skin when you seemed to best his scores at every turn."  
  
She was so distracted by what Narcissa was telling her that Hermione completely missed the tiny glint in the woman's eyes as she spoke.  
  
"For the longest I was certain he had developed something akin to a boyhood fancy for you." She laughed then, more to herself than anything. "Imagine my lack of surprise when it was you he brought through my floo just a mere few short months ago."  
  
So Narcissa had always thought Draco had a fancy for her. That was telling enough although Hermione was unsure exactly how this would help her in her most current circumstance. Irrational irritation bloomed in her chest the more she thought about it.  
  
 _How fair was it really? For Draco to get everything he wanted... and at everyone else's expense, including her own._  
  
"That sounds very convenient." Her words sounded clipped even to her own ears.  
  
"I suppose it does... but then again, if I know my son there was most likely a ton of work placed behind it." Blue eyes peered at her once again from over the rim of her cup. "You know, it is not very often that I have seen him put that much effort into someone else. Someone who was not direct family anyway, he truly does whatever it takes to protect those that he genuinely cares for."  
  
Staring wide-eyed, Hermione found she could not pull her gaze from the woman before her. This witch, this woman, was taking each doubt, every tiny bit of information that she herself had ever questioned and was casually laying it out bare for the world to see.  
  
For _her_ to see.  
  
Yes, she appreciated the insight for what it was. Giving her some peace of mind as far as Draco was concerned. But what would happen when she turned that keen eye back towards Hermione once more?  
  
She needed to get out of there. The need pressed in upon her strongly once more, fraying her nerves until a tremble began in her hands. It was all she could do to pick up her ever-filling cup of tea without the China clattering.  
  
She cleared her throat nervously. "Mrs. Malfoy, surely I do not know what you mean. I am simply here as an offering, nothing more."  
  
Narcissa's eyes narrowed at her almost imperceptibly, but she felt the chill all the same.  
  
"Do not play me for a fool Miss Granger. One would have to be entirely blind to not see the goings-on between you and my son."  
  
She opened her mouth to protest but the older woman merely raised a hand to silence her.  
  
"None the less, you appear to make him happy Miss Granger, and to me that is all that matters. It has been too long since I last saw a real smile grace my Dragon's face... and it appears that you are the one to give it to him."  
  
Deciding the best course of action at the moment, Hermione did nothing more than sit and listen. She did not know what Slytherin game this woman was playing at, but she would not give her more ammunition than she had appeared to gather herself.  
  
Letting out what sounded like a tired lament, Narcissa continued. "I apologize for any misgivings I may have been a part of in your past, but you see, all I genuinely care about is my son's happiness. Therefore, you my dear now find yourself under my attentions as well."  
  
Hermione was barely able to hold onto the scoff that wanted to escape her mouth.  
  
 _That, she would believe when Voldemort was a reformed Death Eater himself._  
  
Still, she chose to sit there, remaining quiet under Narcissa Malfoy's discerning gaze.  
  
"I do suppose I have kept you long enough."  
  
The relief at finally being excused washed over her in one cascading rush. Wasting no time at all she stood and abruptly readied for her departure.  
  
"Thank you ever so much for the tea Mrs. Malfoy."  
  
"Hermione, do call me Narcissa. After all, we are practically family."  
  
She gave a single nod of her head. _Absolutely not._  
  
She was halfway out the door when Narcissa's melodic voice drifted to her from where Hermione had left her sitting at the table, effectively freezing her in place.  
  
"Oh and dear? Might I suggest a cooling draft to assist in hiding your peekishness? We wouldn't want everyone aware of your _condition_ , now would we?"  
  
The world felt like it fell out from beneath her as all the air rushed from her lungs. It took everything Hermione had to resist the urge to turn around and stare at the witch openly in astonishment. Instead, she pushed her feat forward, willing them to carry her steadily out of the door and beyond those prying eyes.  
  
The only thing worse than Narcissa knowing the secret that she was guarding would be if Astoria were to discover it. Aside from that she hadn't quite figured out what to say to Draco... but if his mother knew... well then it was certain to only be a matter of time.  
  
A long huff of air breezed past her lips. She could not be more exhausted, hadn't been this tired in her life before, she was sure of it. Not even when she had been hunting down Horcruxes with Harry.  
  
She had no other choice now but to get it over with. All the work she had been putting in to purposefully ignoring this was about to come to an abrupt end. It was time to finally face the music, so to say, and she wasn't quite sure she was ready yet.  
  
Almost as though her feet were being controlled by a source of their own, she aimlessly made her way back toward Draco's wing of the manor.  
  
When Draco woke to find her side of the bed empty, he would come looking for her. He always did. Today, when he located her in her room staring out the window, she would finally tell him.  
  
  
  
Her eyes never left the wizard before her as he entered her chambers. Even after all this time she still found moments of difficulty when it came to wrapping her head around their current circumstances. Never in her life had she imagined this would be a place where she would be, and still...  
  
"Morning Princess. Couldn't sleep?"  
  
 _How many times had he wandered in here to find her sitting just like this. Staring out into the sky as she fought down every anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her?_  
  
More than she could count at this point. And yet he never uttered a word of complaint. More often than not, he would wander in shortly after her and sit with her, sometimes offering nothing more than companionable silence. Other times he would take care to distract her from the musings of her mind by carrying in whatever conversation suited his fancy. Clearly this morning would have been one of the latter.  
  
Slowly, she shook her head in response as he took his usual place upon the window seat beside her.  
  
"Anything you want to talk about?" he held her in his gray gaze. His eyes were like a warm life raft in her current cold sea of turmoil, and she wanted nothing more than to lose herself there and let him carry it all away.  
  
Her heart began thundering in her chest as her mouth went dry. She knew what would be next, before long it would be hard to breath, and she would discover herself doubling over and gasping for air. That simply did not suit her needs this time around.  
  
Taking a deep steadying gasp Hermione met his gaze and spilled the three words that would soon change everything.  
  
"Draco, I'm pregnant."  
  
  
  
  
  
Blood rushed loudly in his ears, the rhythm keeping time with his heart. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. He found that all he could do was stare dumbly at the tiny witch in front of him through shell shocked eyes.  
  
 _Pregnant?_  
  
 _How in Merlin's fucking hell was she pregnant?_  
  
 _He'd been right miserable for weeks now hadn't he? All for some mysterious act to have happened where the witch would fall pregnant regardless? He thought not. Just what was Granger playing at?_  
  
 _If this were some kind of joke it was not a very good one..._  
  
He could feel the beginnings of anger bubbling its way to the surface, and he did his best to train his face into a mask of cool indifference.  
  
 _If the witch wanted to go back to playing games, we'll they could go back to playing games. No matter the fact that it pained him to admit, but he had thought that they were beyond this._  
  
"Draco?" her voice was soft, almost sounding like an echo as it pulled him back to the moment. Back to her. "Draco, did you hear me?"  
  
"I, err... yes. I did hear you."  
  
He watched as her face almost grew wild with panic as she glared at him in startled dismay.  
  
"And that's it? That's all you have to say?"  
  
"Hermione, I just..." he rubbed the back of his neck to try to relieve some tension. "Do you even hear what you're telling me?"  
  
Amber eyes blazed up in fury as she stood abruptly, squaring off before him. It might have been his imagination, but her hair seemed to crackle with pent-up energy.  
  
"Yes. Malfoy." She all but seethed in his direction, sending a jolt down his very spine. "I am quite certain I am precisely aware of what I just told you."  
  
"Then you know why I am having such a hard time with what you are saying. You see Hermione, I am not sure if anyone has ever explained this to you before, but you must have sex in order to become bloody pregnant. And that is one thing I am quite certain we," he gestured between the two of them pointedly, "do not have. At least not anymore."  
  
Hermione let out an undignified snort as she continued to shoot daggers his way with her eyes. Daggers he would normally feel cutting down to his very marrow, but this... this was absolute rubbish.  
  
"Well the funny thing about that Malfoy. In case no one ever informed you, all it takes is one time."  
  
He let out a rather obnoxious groan as he raked his hand over his face. "Hermione..."  
  
"Draco." Her sharp tone cut him off abruptly causing him to narrow his eyes in her direction. "One time, one night. One very, very drunken night..."  
  
The words landed their mark, solidly hitting him in the chest as the oxygen surrounding him practically disappeared.  
  
 _One drunken night._  
  
The one night he had gone and gotten himself completely knackered, the night of Daphne's dinner party.  
  
All the anger, the fight, that he had felt toward her previously dissolved into thin air as the slow realization of his actions suddenly hit him. Almost as though she could feel all the resistance at what she was telling him leave his body, she too let out a long and painstakingly slow breath taking up a new perch upon her bed.  
  
Draco looked at her then, really looked at her, and he could not figure out how he had been so blind as to not see it before. Her face was drawn tight with worry, and her eyes, rimmed red from tears or stress. He had no idea of knowing which. When she finally looked back up at him he was startled to see the glisten of unshed tears in her once lively and warm eyes, but now they were once again cold and withdrawn.  
  
 _He had done this._  
  
The night he had gone back, fixed all of their problems, or so it had seemed, had far greater consequences than he could have even fathomed. He knew he had been successful in his aim to spurn Astoria to the fullest, so much so that she was hardly around the manor at all these days. But in doing so... he wracked his memory.  
  
Bits and pieces came floating back. He recalled returning to the manor alone, he also had a vague recollection of just barely making it up the stairs. Merlin's balls how much had he had to drink that night? And then... then he remembered Hermione's door, the bottle of whiskey that had accompanied her that evening. She had tasted exactly like it...  
  
He continued to stare at her, eyes frozen in horror as the implications of his actions finally caught up with him fully.  
  
Shards and fragments of memory, him pressing her against the wall, crawling over her in her bed, the touch of her skin against his.  
  
"Fuck!" he buried his face in his hands unable to stand the sight of her pained expression any longer.  
  
 _Of course, it was his fault. It was always bloody his fucking fault, and now he had to figure out how to fix this._  
  
 _To save her._  
  
"Draco, your mother knows." Hermione's voice was little more than a whisper cutting through his internal struggle. After a moment of pause, almost as though she were afraid to say the words out loud she followed, "I'm scared."  
  
 _Mother?_  
  
 _Of course she would know. That witch could sniff out a scandal from ten miles away. There was no way they would have been able to hide a pregnancy under her house._  
  
The only positive thing of note was that at least Draco was entirely certain that she was on his side.  
  
But Hermione, she was afraid. His witch was terrified and once again he had done this to her. The agony of it all tore through him even as he pushed his own feelings of anguish aside and moved to sit next to her, so he could pull her into the safety of his arms.  
  
"I'm so sorry, love. I promise it will be alright. I will make it alright."  
  
He would just have to go back again, undo this mistake while keeping everything else as close to the same as possible. It would all work out... he would lose quite a bit of time this go round, just over a month. But he could live with that, he could not live without Hermione.  
  
"How Draco? How can you possibly remedy this?" she was crying in earnest now, and Draco could tell that she was barely holding on to the little remainder of resolve she had left.  
  
Once again silence filled the air between them as he contemplated the best way to answer her. He could tell her, about the ring, about what he'd done. But how angry would she be?  
  
His finger toyed with the ring he always kept with him in his trouser pocket, feeling the cool metal calling against his skin, the smooth stone seemingly holding the answers to all his life's problems.  
  
If he did tell her, and he went back again, it is not like she would remember it anyway. It was a risk, yes, but not one without its own safety net of sorts.  
  
"Hermione, there is something I have to tell you." Internally he grimaced and her red and shimmering eyes turned up towards him in confusion. "I... I..." he started and the words continued to lodge themselves in his throat.  
  
"You what Draco?"  
  
Perhaps not the whole truth? It wasn't as though she really needed to be hurt by things she did not remember, or Hell hadn't even occurred in this timeline at all really. Steeling his resolve, he tried again.  
  
Carefully, he pulled out the silver ring with the ornate sapphire glistening in the rooms light. He held it out on display for her, but the moment she reached out a hand of her own to touch it his fingers curled around the trinket protectively.  
  
"I don't... I don't understand Draco. What is so important about this particular piece of jewelry?"  
  
"It's..." he trailed off trying to decide the best place to start. "This, everything, it is all my fault." His gray eyes searched hers pleadingly for understanding. For forgiveness about what he was about to tell her.  
  
Hermione gaped back at him, confusion marring her features.  
  
"This ring once belonged to my grandmother, and somehow it has now been bestowed upon to me. Only, it's not simply a ring Hermione." He took another deep breath and let the rest out in a rush with his next exhale. "This ring, and the stone within it, allow the wearer to travel back in time reliving the moments that they so choose."  
  
"But Draco why is this..."  
  
"Hermione, I went back. I changed things." At the look of complete betrayal that crossed her face he felt the need to amend himself. "Once. I went back once, but only because I absolutely had to."  
  
She opened her mouth, and he could tell by her rigid posture that she was about to rip him a new one. Draco simply did not have the patience for that, no matter how deserving of it he might be.  
  
"I can do it again." He all but blurted, hoping to derail her anger for him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go back. I can do it again. I can fix this Hermione, make it all go away." His body was angled towards hers now as he gripped both of her small hands within his own. She was shaking.  
  
"That's what you meant... when you said you could fix it." Her voice trailed off quietly as she appeared lost in thought. Draco prayed she was thinking it over, letting him return to that evening once more to undo yet another wrong he must set right.  
  
The moments ticked by and a sense of unease began to spread through his chest as Hermione stayed there, wandering in her own reflections.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
He did not answer her call, too scared of the words that were sure to follow. But he knew that she was aware that he had heard her nonetheless. Instead, he sighed his defeat, deciding that was acknowledgment aplenty.  
  
"What did you change when you went back the first time?"  
  
His eyes shut tight as his witch hit him with the one question he had been hoping to avoid all together. Of course, being the brightest witch of their age, Hermione would never have allowed that to come to pass. Not even this one time, when he really needed it.  
  
Her brown eyes searched his, looking for an answer, trying to uncover truths he was entirely unwilling to give. He met her gaze calmly.  
  
"I made a mistake." He shrugged as though it had been no big deal even though his heart was racing a mile a minute. "So, I went back and corrected it. The point is that I can so again."  
  
He watched as her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing his every move.  
  
"No."  
  
"No?" Surely he hadn't heard her right. If there was ever a more important time to use his grandmother's ring and its magical abilities now was definitely the time to do it.  
  
"No." This time her voice was sure and resolved. "I know you're keeping something from me Draco, about whatever you did before."  
  
He opened his mouth to object, but she held her hand up before him motioning for silence. A gesture that felt oddly familiar to him somehow.  
  
"Nevertheless. All that has happened is in the past now, in a manner of speaking. Plus, we do not fully know all the magical repercussions of using this ring to actually go back and change things. We need more time to study it Draco."  
  
His eyes followed her tiny hands as she gently rubbed at her lower stomach. Her face setting in a cold resolve.  
  
"Besides, if what you say is correct. Then this may very well be the missing piece we have been searching for and none of this will matter once we go back once and for all."  
  
True, that part had slipped Draco's mind entirely, but... there was still the issue of keeping her safe in the meantime.  
  
Wrapping his arms once again about her small frame he pulled her in close to him. He buried his head in her mane of unruly hair and breathed in the scent he had come to associate to his Hermione alone.  
  
"I promise you." He mumbled against the top of her head, his lips brushing against her as he spoke. "I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, to make this okay."  
  
He felt the exact moment she relaxed into his embrace, accepting the truth of his words for what they were. While she may not allow him to go back in time and undo yet another one of his mistakes, she would be more than willing to accept anything else he had to offer her. That knowledge alone brought him some semblance of relief, knowing she would not fight him on this. That she had made the conscious decision to not hold this one against him.  
  
"I know you will Draco." She sighed as she curled around herself protectively in his lap, exhaustion clearly taking over. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Apologies this is late... again, you know what we will just dub the new schedule every two weeks. You know life, work, burnout etc. But, I promise I wont abandon this. Now that that’s said, Deus ex machina huh? 😉 There are still quite a few events left in this story so please forgive me if I have not allowed the complete answers for their problems to show up yet. This is a story of give and take… and some more take. Also if I have not replied to a comment directly please forgive me, I love them and I love the fact that you felt the desire to engage me, but sometimes I cant say anything without giving some important bits away. So kudos to you! As always check out my Tumbr, I would love to have more discussions with you over there, and love the comments and kudos so keep em coming.


End file.
